Vazhaipoo Vadai

Earlier on, we had illustrated how the Banana flower can be prepared for use as a vegetable. Here is a recipe that incorporates this nutrient rich and delicious ingredient – a crispy banana flower-lentil fritter (Vadai)!

This is a wonderful take on the more common Paruppu (Dal) Vadai, making it more nutritious on the one hand and being a delightful way to add another locally found element to our diets on the other. Banana flower vadai are served regularly at the solitude farm café.

The preparation:

• Soak ½ cup of Chana Dal for 2 hours (no longer, or else the Vadai will absorb too much oil while frying.)
• Blend the soaked Dal with NO added water until a coarse paste is achieved, then add a 1 inch piece of Ginger chopped small, and 6 cloves of Garlic and blend again briefly.
• Shift the contents of the blender to a bowl, then add 1 cup of chopped up Banana flowers, ½ tablespoon of Cumin seeds, 12 chopped Shallots, 2 chopped Green Chilies, a pinch of Asafoetida powder, and ¾ teaspoon of salt. Mix well by hand. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.
• Heat enough Vegetable oil for deep frying. In your hand flatten a large lemon sized ball of the batter into a thin Vadai shape, smoothen the edges and slowly insert into the hot oil. Fry them until both sides are golden brown.

The Vadai is served hot, the batter can even be refrigerated for up to a day, and fried shortly before serving.