Banana Blossom Channadal Kootu/Vazhaipoo Kadalaparuppu Kootu

After tangy tamarind gravy aka Kuzhambu and dal based sambhar, kootu is an another popular dal based dish cooked often in South Indian cuisine. Kootu have their own place in a meal served on a banana leaf on festive days or else for a special occasion. Kootu can be prepared with any sort of vegetables or else with a combination of beans or vegetables. My today's post is an healthy and protein rich Kootu prepared with banana blossom aka vazhaipoo. Banana blossom is an edible flower which is also known as Banana heart, used very much in Southeast Asian and very much in Indian cuisine. Though this banana blossom is known as flower, Indians consider this bitter banana blossom as vegetable.  Indian cooks this banana blossom as stir fries, curries or else in stews. Looking for some interesting dal dishes, then check here.

Peeling and chopping Banana blossom needs loads of patience, however its definitely worth to cook with this fantastic edible flower. Since banana blossom have loads of medicinal values, its advised to add this healthy edible flower in our cooking often. Whenever i go to Indian stores, i never forget to grab banana blossom as they are very rare to find out here. But my today's dish cooked completely with fresh banana blossoms i carried all the way from India. Trust me if packed properly, fresh banana blossom stays prefect more than a day while you are travelling. Am running this week's blogging marathon with Lentils salad and sides, hence am posting this delicious kootu for this theme.

1 Banana Blossom (peeled & chopped)

1cup Channa Dal / Kadala Paruppu  

1/4tsp Turmeric powder 

Salt to taste

1no Onion (chopped)

1no Tomato (chopped)

1tsp Mustard seeds

1/2cup Cumin seeds

Curry leaves

Oil

1/4tsp Asafoetida powder

To grind:

3/4cup Coconut 

1tsp Cumin seeds

3nos Dry Red Chillies

Pressure cook the channadal with turmeric powder.

Once the steam gets released,add in chopped banana blossom,salt and mix well. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 10 minutes or till the banana blossom gets cooked. 

Now take the coconut, cumin seeds and dry red chillies in a mixer and make into a paste by adding enough water. 

Now add the paste into the channadal-banana blossom mixture and mix well. Cook it for few minutes. 

Lets splutters the mustard, cumin seeds,asafoetida powder and curry leaves in oil, add the chopped onions and saute until the onions turns transculent.

Add the chopped tomatoes and saute until the tomatoes turns mushy. Ntow add this mixture to the cooked dal-banana blossom. Cook for few seconds and put off the stove.

Serve with rice. 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#81