Vazhaipoo poriccha kootu (banana heart stew)

This is a thick gravy cooked with dal(lentils), spices and banana flower/heart.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole big banana flower, de-pistilled and chopped. Soak the chopped flowers in a bowl of water to which a ladle of buttermilk is added, else it gets oxidised.
• moong dal --- ½ cup
• 1 tea spoon of rice flour to thicken the gravy.

Ingredients to grind

• Urad dal --- 2 table spoon
• Dry red chilli --- 5 no’s
• Cumin seeds ---- 1 tea spoon
• Grated coconut ---- ½ cup
• Black pepper corns – 1 spoon( if you desire it spicier)

For seasoning:
Mustard – 1 tea spoon
Urad dal – 1 teaspoon
1 sprig of curry leaf.

Method for chopping the flower:

Remove the flowers from the base of the purple bracts. hold them with one hand and press the tip of the petals with another hand. The tips open up showing the thick filament with thick head. Remove the filament from the flower. Chop them on the chopping board into small sizes and put them in a bowl of water to which butter milk is added.

                             


After washing them well, boil them with salt and turmeric. Keep this aside. To this add the boiled moong dal.

For the masala:

• Roast urad dal, red chilli cumin seeds and pepper corn in a teaspoon of oil. When cool grind them with coconut and add this to the cooked flowers and boil them.
• While the gravy has boiled well, add a spoonful of rice flour mixture to thicken the gravy.Allow it to boil for some more time.

For Garnishing:
In a small wok, add a teaspoon of oil and splutter mustard, urad dal and curry leaf.
Add this garnishing to the kootu(stew).