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Vazhaipoo Usili
8 serving
Ingredients
- 1 Banana Flower, tough bracts removed, florets and heart chopped
- 1/4 c. Chana Dal, washed, soaked at least 30 minutes
- 1/4 c. Split Pigeon Pea, washed, soaked at least 30 minutes
- 3 Dried Red Chiles
- 1 Green Chile
- 1/8 tsp. Ground Turmeric
- 1/4 tsp. Asafoetida
- 1/4 tsp. Salt, as needed
- 1 tsp. Fennel Seed
- 2 tsp. Oil
- 1 tsp. Mustard Seed
- 6 Curry Leaves
Instructions
Instructions
5 minutes
1.
1.
Meanwhile, grind dal, chiles, asafeotida, fennel seed, and salt to a coarse paste.
5 minutes
2.
2.
Boil the banana flower just until tender.
20 minutes
3.
3.
While banana is cooking, divide the dal mixture into several small portions and steam for 15 minutes. Let cool enough to handle, then crumble.
3 minutes
4.
4.
In a large pan over medium heat, fry mustard seeds and curry leaves until very fragrant.
3 minutes
5.
5.
Add the crumbled dal mixture and fry briefly.
6.
Add banana flower and toss to incorporate. Adjust salt and serve.
Made this with split black gram and split red lentils; 2 Tbsp. paprika plus 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper instead of dried chiles; and half a red bell pepper instead of a green chile. Only used ~1/4 tsp. fennel as I was worried it would over power the other flavors, but I didn't really notice it in the final dish. That said, the only thing I really noticed was the bitterness from the banana flower, rendering this inedible. I think I either needed to soak the banana flower pre-boiling, or perhaps it was just a bad flower. Additionally, adding the wet banana flower to the lentil mixture ended up softening it too much, turning it back in to a paste. I will likely try this again in the future, but will practice simpler banana flower recipes in the meantime, until I figure out how to prepare them properly.