Banana flower sabji

Banana flower sabji is a traditional Indian dish; highly nutritious vegetable, packed with fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants, is commonly used in Bengali and south Indian cuisine.

Today recipe from Bengali cuisine (Banana flower sabji) can be made in a very simple and quick way, by first boiling the chopped banana flower, which helps remove its bitterness and makes it tender. Once the banana flower is boiled, it is ready to be stir-fried with basic spices.

In my version of banana flower sabji, I add a special touch by incorporating wheat flour and ghee towards the end of the cooking process. After the boiled banana flower is stir-fried with spices, I sprinkle a little wheat flour, which helps in binding the ingredients and gives the sabji a slightly thick texture.

To enhance the flavour, I finish it off by adding a generous spoonful of ghee, which not only adds richness but also gives the dish a lovely aroma. This finishing step elevates the sabji, making it more wholesome and satisfying.

Ingredients:

• Banana flower: 1 no.
• Wheat flour: 1 teaspoon
• dry  red chillies: 3 no.
• Kalonji (Nigella sativa): half teaspoon
• Cumin : 1 teaspoon
• Chilli powder: half teaspoon
• Coriander powder: half teaspoon
• Turmeric powder: half teaspoon
• Garam masala powder: half teaspoon
• Mustard oil/cooking oil: 1 tablespoon
• Ghee: 1 tablespoon
• Salt: as per taste
• Water: half cup

Preparation:

1. Remove outer red layer of banana flower.
2. Keep bunch of flower aside.
3. Remove hard stem from each flower. Cut each bunch very fine pieces.
4. Remove outer layer of banana till green layer comes.
5. Put all cutting into a bowl filled with water (otherwise it will turn dark brown as it contains lot of iron)

Method:

1. Cook and boil this banana flower till it become soft. (We can do it in the cooker or microwave)
2. Strain water with the help of strainer. Keep aside.
3. Take fry pan. Heat oil. When smoke starts coming, add cumin seed, Kalonji and whole red chilli.
4. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder and chilli powder. Add one cup of water.
5. Add salt and boiled banana flower. continue to cook another 2-3 minutes on low flame.
6. When banana flower is done; add wheat flour, ghee and Garam masala.
7. Mix well. Cook for couple of minutes. Cover the lid. Serve hot after few minutes.
8. Serve with Dost Paratha, Chapatti or Rice.

Banana flower sabji by Nag Ratna Sahu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.