Vazhai Poo Usili, Banana Flower Curry

Vazhai Poo Usili is a delicious dry curry with Banana flower and crumbled Lentils from the Tamil Brahmin (Tambrahm) community. Vazhai Poo means Banana flower in Tamil and Usili is a preparation which is made using steamed and crumbled Lentil paste. You can add usili to many other vegetables like French Beans, Cluster Beans, Cabbage etc. For this recipe, Usili has been combined with Banana Flower. Let’s learn to make this signature dish of the Tambrahm community.

Preparing banana flowers may appear to be a lengthy and time consuming process, but if you think, for this recipe,there is no other cutting or chopping required. Unlike any other curry, there is no garlic peeling or Onion chopping or any masala preparation required. All you need to do is to prepare the Vazhaipoo.

The other good part about this recipe is that this is a flexible recipe and hence there is no fixed proportion required since the quantity of usili can be increased or decreased as per your liking. Usili also helps to add volume to those vegetables which normally become a lot less once cooked. Banana flower is one such vegetable.

You will get to eat Usili in all Tambrahm (Tamil Brahmin) households and it is also served for all important events. You can make usili with only one lentil or with a combination of lentils. I have used both Tur and chana Dal for this recipe. Since Usili is full of protein, that’s the reason that usili based curries are normally consumed with kuzhambu which do not have dal. LikeMorkootan, Vetta kuzhambu etc. In short the absence of Lentil in Kuzhambu is compensated by the accompanying usili based curry.

Benefits of Banana Flower

Banana flowers are packed with nutrients and medicinal properties.Banana flowers contain a compound called ethanol, which has known anti-microbial properties and has been used by native peoples to help treat problems like wound or skin infections for hundreds of years.

You may check some more curry recipes of mine here.

LAUKI KE GATTE KI SABZI, BOTTLE GOURD DUMPLINGS CURRY

EASIEST VEGAN CURRY, TRICOLOR PORIYAL, PODUTHUVAL

Please try this Vazhai Poo Usili and leave your comment to let me know how it turned out for you.

Vazhai Poo Usili, Banana Flower Curry

fitnfastrecipes

Vazhai Poo Usili is a delicious dry curry with Banana flower and crumbled Lentils from the Tamil Brahmin (Tambrahm))community . Vazhai Poo means Banana flower in Tamil. Usili is a preparation which is made using steamed and crumbled Lentil paste. You can add usili to many other vegetables like French Beans, Cluster Beans, Cabbage etc. For this recipe, Usili has been combined with Banana Flower. Let's learn to make this signature dish of the Tambrahm community.

Preparing banana flowers may appear to be a lengthy and time consuming process, but if you think, for this recipe,there is no other cutting or chopping required. Unlike any other curry, there is no garlic peeling or Onion chopping or any masala preparation required. All you need to do is to prepare the Vazhaipoo.

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 45 mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Moroccan

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

Ingredients for Curry

• 1 Nos Banana Flower (approx 500 gms in weight)
• 1 Litre Water
• 2 tbsp Yogurt
• ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
• 2 tbsp Thick Tamarind extract
• 2 cup Fresh Water.
• 1 tsp Salt

Ingredients for Tempering

• 1 tbsp Sesame or Coconut Oil
• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1 tsp White Lentil or Urad
• 1 sprig Curry Leaves

Ingredients for Usili

• ½ cup Yellow Lentil. Known as Tur Dal, Tuvar Dal or Arhar Dal in Hindi.
• ½ cup Split bengal Gram. Known as Chana Dal in Hindi.
• 3 Nos Dry Red Chillies
• ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1/8 tsp Asafoetida
• 1 tsp Salt

Instructions

 

Prepare Flowers

• Apply oil to your palms and knife to avoid stain.
  
• Take Water in a vessel. Add yogurt to it and keep aside.
• Peel off the outer Red/purple layer of Banana flower and take out the white edible flower from each layer.
  
• Rub the flower gently to open it up
  
• Pluck and discard the hard stamen.
  
• Remove flowers from each layer till you are left with small white portion. You can chop and use this part as it is.
  
• Remove stamen from all flowers.
  
• Finely chop the flowers.
  
• Dip finely chopped flowers in yogurt water till further use.
  
• Keep a pan on flame.
  
• Strain the flowers and add to the pan.
  
• Add turmeric.
  
• Add Tamarind extract.
  
• Add 2 cups of fresh water.
  
• Cook for 5 minutes.
  
• Add Salt.
  
• Mix and cover and cook for 5 more minutes.
  
• Cook till water evaporates from the flowers and the flowers are cooked completely.
  
• Keep aside.

Make Usili

• Soak Lentils and red chillies in water for 4 hours.
  
• Drain and discard excess water.
  
• Add drained lentils to a blender Jar.
  
• Add turmeric.
  
• Add Asafoetida.
  
• Add Salt.
  
• Blend to a coarse paste without adding any water.
  
• Take out and make about 5 balls out of this mixture and arrange on a greased steamer plate. You can even pour this mixture in an idli Mould like Idli .
  
• Cover and steam for 15 minutes.
  
• Open and crumble it using a fork once it is slightly cool.
  

Prepare Curry

• Heat a pan.
  
• Add a table spoon of oil.
  
• Add all ingredients of seasoning and stir till white lentil turns golden.
  
• Add crumbled lentil.
  
• Saute for 5 minutes.
  
• Add cooked Banana flowers and stir.
  
• Cook again for 5 more minutes and turn off the flame.
  
• Serve as a side dish with Rice and any type of kootan or Kuzhambu. Traditionally Usili based curries are served with Kootan or Kuzhambu which do not have lentils so that the lentil in usili balances the absence of Lentil in Kootan.
  

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