A much relished pakoda in Tamil Nadu, the banana blossoms (vazhaipoo) in this vadai are first cleaned out by removing the hard pistil, and chopped finely. It is then added to the lentil paste with an array of spices and deep-fried in sesame or gingelly oil.
Ingredients
- One whole banana inflorescence, cleaned and chopped (about 3 cups)
- 100 gm chana dal
- 100 gm urad dal
- 100 gm mung dal
- 50 gm masoor dal
- 60 gm raw rice
- 2 tbsp fennel seeds
- 2 tbsp black pepper, coarsely crushed
- 1 tbsp ginger, minced
- 1½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- 400 ml sesame/gingelly oil
- Few sprigs of curry leaves, chopped
Preparation
- Mix all the lentils with rice and soak for minimum of two hours. Drain, and grind in a food processor to make a coarse paste. Add all the other ingredients to the lentil paste, except the oil, and mix thoroughly.
- Take large lime-sized portions of the mixture and shape into flat vadais. Drop them into the oil. Keep turning the vadais gently to cook evenly until they become crisp and golden-brown on the surface. Remove from oil with the help of a slotted spoon and place them on a plate lined with a kitchen towel.
- Serve hot with Coconut Chutney.
Excerpted with permission from Pakodas: The Snack for All Seasons, Sangeeta Khanna, Westland.
Sangeeta Khanna is a food and nutrition consultant. She is the author of the blogs Healthfood Desivideshi and Banaras ka Khana.
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