BANANA FLOWER SABJI
BANANA FLOWER MAKES FOR AN EXOTIC SABJI.
The beauty of this banana flower sabji is in the wonder of using banana flower as produce, and a strong masala that makes for a surprisingly “meaty” sabji in terms of texture and palate weight. A definite dinner party conversation starter.
Find out more about banana flower >
RECIPE DETAILS
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes.
Dietary Style: Gluten Free | Vegetarian | Dairy Free and Vegan substititions
INGREDIENTS
PREP
- 2 large banana flowers
- 1/2 cup cup moong dal
PREP MAKE THE MOONG DAL
- soaked and drained moong dal
- cold water to cover
TO MAKE THE BANANA FLOWER SABJI
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 small pink onion, finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- knob of ginger, finely chopped
- 1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
- 2 heaped tsp fine white salt
- 1 tsp toasted cumin powder
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- fresh coriander leaf to garnish
METHOD
How to make our banana flower sabji recipe.
STEP 1
Soak the moong dal in cold water before starting to prepare the banana flower. To prepare the banana flowers, pick away and discard the stamen and the hard casing at the bottom of the flower. Soak in cold water for 30 minutes. Strain before use.
While the banana flower is soaking, strain the moong dal. Transfer to a pan. Cover the moong dal with cold water until just covered. Set to medium-high heat on the stovetop, stirring if it seems to be sticking. This moong dal is ready when the water has evaporated and the dal itself is al dente—so still with a little bite. Set aside
STEP 2
In a kadai, heavy wok, or deeper frying pan heat the ghee on a medium heat and add the onion, ginger and garlic. Cook until translucent, about 10 minutes, adding a little water and turning the heat down if necessary to stop the aromatics from browning.
Once these intial aromatics are translucent, add the cumin seed and stir through for one to two minutes. Next add the banana flower strained of water. Stir through the masala before also adding the salt, hing and cooked moong dal.
Continue to stir, adding the toasted cumin powder, chilli powder and coriander powder. Add a little water at any time during the addition of these spices if the sabji looks to be sticking or drying out.
STEP 3
Once the masala is all added, turn up the heat to a medium-high and cook the sabji until the starch that releases as a milky liquid into the pan begins to evaporate. The sabji is ready when you can begin to hear the sizzle and, when tasted, the masala is clearly “there”. If the starch isn’t adequately cooked out, the dish will taste muffled. This process will take around 5 to 10 minutes.
STEP 4
Once ready, remove from the heat and distribute into a bowl. Scatter with chopped fresh coriander. Serve with poori, pickled vegetables and fresh yoghurt.
LEARN MORE ABOUT
BANANA FLOWER
What do banana flowers taste like?
Tasted raw, banana flowers taste a little similar to a green banana. They are cool at first bite, and then surprisingly starchy and chalky. The flowers have a little crunch. Once cooked, banana flowers have a meatier texture, and a slight water chestnut quality.
Where can I buy banana flowers?
Banana flowers can be bought at markets in India in season. Outside of Asia and the Indian regions, in Australia you can look for banana flowers at Asian grocers. Those with banana plants can pick the banana flowers to use if they don’t mind missing out on the banana fruit.
What are banana flowers?
Banana flowers are the precede to the banana fruit. The flowers look like a beautiful big red cone. One that cone is picked, you can peel back the leaves, and at the base of the flower under every leaf is a cluster of long, thin stamen-like structures. These are the banana flowers.
How do I prepare banana flowers?
Banana flowers need to be soaked in water before use in order to clean them. Once soaked, each banana flower needs to be “plucked” in order to clean them of the stamen, and a second paper-thin casing. You will be able to ascertain which parts of the flower to discard, as these two aspects are both quite hard. Look to the video for visual cues.
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