BANANA FLOWER SAMBAR, VAZHAPOO SAMBAR, KHEL PHOOLCHI SAMBAR

Banana flower sambar is made like the normal sambar you make.  either you can use the ground masala or sambar powder instead.  

Banana flower sambar

Banana flower  preparation  is liked by me very much be it a thoran, sambar, pachadi, raita, vada or usli.  It is quite healthy, tasty and easy to make any thing out of it.   Here i am presenting the Banana flower sambar.  Normally I make the sambar without tamarind.  Yes, you must be wondering how to make sambar without tamarind..  Instead of tamarind, we can add amchur powder, tomato, kokum etc.  but i do not use anything of this frankly speaking but still it is tasty. 
banana flower sambar      banana flower sambar


Let us go into the kitchen to prepare the same.


Ingredients

Banana Flower (Vazhapoo) finely chopped - 1 cup
Tur dal - 1/2  cup
Tamarind pulp 1/4 cup or 1/2 tsp amchur powder or 1 tomato
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Salt

For masala 

Coconut grated - 1/2  cup
Coriander seeds - 1 - 11/2  tsp
Chana dal - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli - 2 nos (as per your taste)
Fenugreek seeds -  l,ess than 1/4 tsp
Black pepper - 2 -3 nos
Green chilli - 1 no
Curry leaves
Oil

Seasoning:

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Asafoetida  a pinch
curry leaves

Garnishing

Chopped coriander leaves.

Method

Remove the outer cover of the banana flower and take out the bunches of flowers.  in the flowers, there is one particular part which has to be removed before chopping the flowers and put them in butter milk water.

1. In a kadai, heat oil, add the coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, black pepper, red chilli, chana dal and fry.  
2. Add the grated coconut, green chilli, curry leaves and saute for 2-3 minutes. Cool it and grind to a smooth paste.
3. Pressure cook the banana flower and tur dal separately by adding turmeric powder.
You can cook the flowers directly in the tamarind pulp too.
4. In a vessel, add the tamarind pulp, banana flower, salt and cook till the raw taste of tamarind goes.
5. Add the masala, boiled  tur dal and boil for two minutes
6. Finally, temper with the mustard seeds,  asafoetida and curry leaves.

serve hot with plain rice, chapati.






Note:  Instead of grinding the masala, you can use sambar powder too.

 for normal sambar preparation, i love the combination of drumstick, white and red pumpkin, capsicum.

Nutrition: Banana flowers, similarly to bananas are an excellent source of potassium, plus vitamin’s A, C and E.  Banana flowers have tremendous nutritional value, being a good source of fiber and protein. The flowers contain a class of phytochemicals known as saponins. Saponins lower LDL ,or bad cholesterol, boost our immunity against infection and are thought to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. They also have antioxidant activity and so can reduce our risk of chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease. Banana flowers are also an excellent source of flavonoids. These phytochemicals found in many plant based foods help prevent damage to DNA cells by neutralizing free radicals. They also help lower cholesterol, are anti-inflammatory, anticancer and anti-aging.