Vazhaipoo vadai (Banana flower Vada)
Banana flower has lots of nutrient value - Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Calcium and iron too.
Cooked banana flower eaten with curd or boiled banana flower mixed with buttermilk is considered an effective medicine for menstrual disorders like painful menstruation and excessive bleeding. Banana flower helps increase progesterone hormone which reduces the bleeding in women.
More medicinal info from the comments left by MenakaSury :
banana flower has a medicinal value for a number of chronic ailments including dyspepsia,hook-worms in intestines, menorhoea. When taken with panan kalkandu, it is a definite cure for dysentry. Vazhaipoo combined with pasiparuppu and karunaikizhangu made into a vada (as described by you) cures peptic ulcers. But one must be careful to use the right oil for deep frying.
I am not also exaggerating when I say that the plantain flower mixed with cow's milk and plantain fruit (taken once in a week) is a good antidote for obese women. When the flower is mixed with aamanakku oil and fried, it has a good anti-inflammatory effect.
The flavor is a little bitter,but when cooked with the right ingredients it tastes really good. I like the fragrance it imparts to the vada and hence made vada with it.
To clean the banana flower, first remove the outer purple leaves. You will find a bunch of creamish yellow flowers. From each flower remove the hard stamen(with a black tip or just a thick round tip) and the cut the flowers finely.
Ingredients:
Channa dal (soaked in water for 1hr) - 1 cup
Red chillies - 3
Garlic - 2 cloves
Cinnamon - 1/4 stick
Cloves - 3
Saunf (fennel seeds) - 1 tbsp
Banana flower (chopped) - 1 cup
Onion (finely chopped) - 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves (finely chopped) - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Methi leaves (chopped) - 1/4 cup
Salt - as needed
Oil - for deep frying
Method:
Grind the soaked channa dal along with cinnamon, cloves, garlic, red chillies, saunf and salt to a thick coarse paste. Add very little water while grinding as this will make the vada's soak less oil while frying. After grinding add chopped onion, chopped banana flower, coriander leaves and curry leaves and mix well. Heat enough oil in a kadai (wok) for deep frying. Take a small lemon sized ball in your palm and pat it flat and drop it into the hot oil. Remove the vada's after they turn golden brown. Serve these with chutney of your choice. They also taste good with ketchup.
Cooked banana flower eaten with curd or boiled banana flower mixed with buttermilk is considered an effective medicine for menstrual disorders like painful menstruation and excessive bleeding. Banana flower helps increase progesterone hormone which reduces the bleeding in women.
More medicinal info from the comments left by MenakaSury :
banana flower has a medicinal value for a number of chronic ailments including dyspepsia,hook-worms in intestines, menorhoea. When taken with panan kalkandu, it is a definite cure for dysentry. Vazhaipoo combined with pasiparuppu and karunaikizhangu made into a vada (as described by you) cures peptic ulcers. But one must be careful to use the right oil for deep frying.
I am not also exaggerating when I say that the plantain flower mixed with cow's milk and plantain fruit (taken once in a week) is a good antidote for obese women. When the flower is mixed with aamanakku oil and fried, it has a good anti-inflammatory effect.
The flavor is a little bitter,but when cooked with the right ingredients it tastes really good. I like the fragrance it imparts to the vada and hence made vada with it.
To clean the banana flower, first remove the outer purple leaves. You will find a bunch of creamish yellow flowers. From each flower remove the hard stamen(with a black tip or just a thick round tip) and the cut the flowers finely.
Ingredients:
Channa dal (soaked in water for 1hr) - 1 cup
Red chillies - 3
Garlic - 2 cloves
Cinnamon - 1/4 stick
Cloves - 3
Saunf (fennel seeds) - 1 tbsp
Banana flower (chopped) - 1 cup
Onion (finely chopped) - 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves (finely chopped) - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Methi leaves (chopped) - 1/4 cup
Salt - as needed
Oil - for deep frying
Method:
Grind the soaked channa dal along with cinnamon, cloves, garlic, red chillies, saunf and salt to a thick coarse paste. Add very little water while grinding as this will make the vada's soak less oil while frying. After grinding add chopped onion, chopped banana flower, coriander leaves and curry leaves and mix well. Heat enough oil in a kadai (wok) for deep frying. Take a small lemon sized ball in your palm and pat it flat and drop it into the hot oil. Remove the vada's after they turn golden brown. Serve these with chutney of your choice. They also taste good with ketchup.
Comments
Thanks for the vazhailai picture. I got one from Kanchana's it. Because it was thalai vazhai illai.Thank u very much though. Do send us links once u post amma's and paati's recipes.
I am not also exaggerating when I say that the plantain flower mixed with cow's milk and plantain fruit (taken once in a week) is a good antidote for obese women. When the flower is mixed with aamanakku oil and fried, it has a good anti-inflammatory effect.
God bless you .
Ur vazhaipoo vadai looks tasty... it sounds easy too...
Meera: Thanks.
Menakusury: Thanks a ton MeakaSury. I will add this additional information to my post.
Karthika: Unfortunately the Indian stores around Denver dont stock up on a lot of Indian veggies. We only get the very basic ones there. I got the vazhaipoo from a korean shop. Looks like chinese, korean and vietnamese people use it for cooking too. You might want to try in an asian market. That might help.
Awesome recipe man ..Looks very cute ..Pics are great.This is the first time that i am into your blog .Too good .
Saw ur GBP project one too .Will surely start to plant few of them and participate in ur blog .