Banana Flower Vada / Baale Hu Vade

Ingredients:

5-6 florets of Banana flower / Poombe / Kundige / Baale Hu

1 cup Bengalgram seeds / Channa dal / Kadle bele

4-5 Green Chillies

1/4 inch sized Ginger

1 floret of Garlic

15-20 Curry leaves

1 medium sized Onion

10-12 Coriander leaves

Salt to taste

Oil

Recipe:

Soak bengalgram seeds in water for about 3-4 hrs. Wash it 2-3 times in water and keep it aside. Take each floret and remove the fiber content from its outer side using a knife. (No need to remove the fiber contents for inner florets which are almost white in color.) Put water and little bit of buttermilk in a vessel and keep it aside. Chop banana flower into very small pieces as shown in the picture below and put it in a vessel containing buttermilk water. Keep it aside for about 4-5 mins. Chop onion, coriander leaves, into small pieces as shown in the picture below.

Put green chillies, ginger, garlic curry leaves in a mixer and grind it for about 1 min. Add soaked bengalgram seeds and grind it coarsely without adding water as shown in the picture below. Squeeze all the water content from chopped banana flower and add it to vada batter. Add chopped onion, coriander leaves to the vada batter and mix well.

Put 1-2 tsp oil in a clean plastic sheet and spread it over the plastic sheet. Make lemon sized ball from the mixture and pat it on plastic sheet as shown in the picture below. Keep oil in a thick bottomed vessel and heat it. Put patted vada in oil and deep fry until it turns golden in color.

Serve hot along with chutney or tomato ketchup.

Banana Flower Tambli / Baale Hu Tambli

Ingredients:

1 small Banana Flower / Poombe / Kundige / Bale Hu

1 Green Chilly

1/2 cup of grated Coconut

2-3 cups of Buttermilk

Salt to taste

1-2 florets of Garlic

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

3-4 Curry leaves

1 tsp Oil

Recipe:

Take inner part of banana flower as shown in the picture below. Put it in a microwave for about 3-4 mins. Remove outermost cover. (You can also use wood charcoal to cook entire banana flower and then remove all outer burnt part or you can chop this banana flower into small pieces and cook it in a pressure cooker.)

Make them into medium sized pieces as shown in the picture below.

Grind this cooked banana flower, grated coconut, green chilly into smooth paste by adding sufficient amount of water. (If it is frozen coconut, use hot water while grinding.) Add this ground coconut to a vessel. Add butter milk, salt and mix well. (If it is yogurt/curd, put it in a mixer for few seconds before adding it to tambli.)

Remove outer cover of garlic and mash it. Put mashed garlic, 2 tsp oil in a pan. Once it turns golden in color, add mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves and add it to tambli. Mix well before serving. It goes well with Rice.