Baale Dindu Hasi Chutney / Banana Stem Chutney

Ingredients:
5 - 6 inch sized Banana Stem / Baale Dindu

1.5 cups grated Coconut

1 -2 Green Chillies

1/2 cup fresh Buttermilk 

1 tsp Mustard seeds(1/4 for grinding, 3/4 tsp for seasoning)

Salt to taste

1 - 2 broken Red Chilly pieces

5 - 6 Curry leaves

1 tsp Oil

Recipe:

Make thin round pieces of banana stem by removing its fibre content as shown in the picture below. 

Put the chopped banana stem in buttermilk for about 5 mins. Remove the banana stems from buttermilk and put it in a mixer. Add grated coconut, 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, salt, green chillies in a mixer and grind it to smooth paste by adding sufficient amount of water. (If it is frozen coconut, use hot water while grinding.) Add the remaining buttermilk to Chutney and mix well.

Put 3/4 tsp mustard seeds, red chilly pieces, oil in a pan and heat. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves and keep it for few seconds and then add it to chutney. It goes well with Dosa, Rice, etc.

Baalehannu(Banana) Halwa

Ingredients:
150 medium sized Banana / Baalehannu or 30 cups mashed Banana

15 - 17 cups Sugar

4 cups Ghee

10-12 Cardamom
1/2 cup broken Cashew Nuts (Optional)

Recipe:

Remove the outer cover of each banana and mash them as shown in the picture below.

Put broken cashew nuts, little amount of ghee, fry them for few mins until they turn light golden in color. Transfer this to another bowl and keep it aside. Remove the cardamom seeds from cardamom, mash them and keep them aside.

Put the mashed banana in a heavy/thick bottomed vessel and heat. Add sugar and mix them well and cook them in medium flame for about 15-20 mins. Add around 2 cups of ghee and mix them well. 

Keep stirring the mixture in medium flame and add the remaining ghee in regular intervals until it turns light golden brown in color.

Stir the halwa continuously in medium flame until ghee starts separating or until it leaves from the bottom. Add fried cashew nuts, mashed cardamom and mix well.

Apply little amount of ghee to the plate, pour this halwa and spread it using one flat spoon as shown in the picture below.

Once it is cooled to room temperature make them into slices and store them in an airtight container.