Vazhaipoo vadai is a popular Tamilnadu snack made with banana flower, gram dal and spices. Serve the crispy vazhapoo vada with hot tea or chutney or tomato ketchup.
The basic process is the same as masala vada or kara vadai and the only difference is the addition of the banana blossom.
How to clean or prep Vazhaip0o (banana blossom)
Cleaning vazhapoo needs little patience and precision. I would suggest you do this job when you sit relaxed listening to music. That’s how I do such mundane jobs!
First, open the outer large petal where you will see the bunch of neatly aligned florets. Take these in your fingers, brush the heads down on the surface to open them. You can see the hard tall string-like knob structure(pistil) with a head, pull it out.
And a small translucent cover(synthetic like), pull this off too. This is calyx. Both the pistil(hard knob string) and calyx(transparent small cover) are nonedible parts and have to be discarded.
Collect all the remaining cleaned florets in the same manner and keep them immersed in saltwater to avoid discoloration. Later chop them finely and use them in vadas, soups, curries and salads.
Vazhaipoo vadai | Aratikaya puvvu vada
Banana flower benefits:
The banana flower known as a banana blossom has got numerous medicinal benefits because of its rich nutritional properties like calcium, potassium, iron and magnesium.
It helps in dissolving kidney stones hence promoting the health of the kidneys. Banana blossom also is useful in slowing down aging, improving iron levels in our body and helping in digestive problems.
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Vazhaipoo vadai | Banana flower vada | Aratikaya puvvu vada
Equipment
- Deep fry pan
Ingredients
To soak & grind:
- 1 cup Gram dal
- 1 tsp Fennel seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 4 Red chillies
Vada mixture:
- 1 cup Vazhaipoo banana flower
- 1 tbsp Dal soaked
- ½ cup Onion
- 1.5 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Ginger
- 1 tsp green chilli
- Curry leaves
- Coriander leaves
- Oil to deep fry
Instructions
Preparation:
- Clean banana florets(check above story)and fine chop, keep in salt water.
- Soak gram dal for two hours with a tsp of fennel seeds, a tsp of cumin seeds, 4 red chillies and a stick of cinnamon bark.
Recipe:
- After 2 hours, save a tbsp of soaked dal and coarse grind the mixture in a blender. DO NOT ADD WATER and don't make it as a paste. Coarsely ground dal gives crispy Vazhaipoo vadai.
- In a mixing bowl, take the ground mixture with the saved soaked dal and add 1/2 cup of chopped onions or shallots.
- Put a tsp of green chillies and a tsp of ginger. Add 1.5tsp of salt, some cut curry leaves and coriander leaves.
- Next squeeze the water completely from the banana florets and add with the vada mixture.
- Combine everything properly and make small balls, keep aside.
How to cook vazhapoo vadas:
- Heat enough oil to deep fry the vadas.
- Press slightly and make vada shapes. Check the temperature of the oil and slide the vadas slowly. Add vadas in batches and cook at medium high temperature.
- Do not disturb for a minute atleast until the vadas get cooked on the bottom sides.
- Flip the vadas and fry the other sides of the vadas for a few minutes until they become crisp and brown.
- When vadas are deep brown in color drain out the vadas from oil.
- Serve Vazhaipoo vadai with hot tea or tomato ketchup or chutney of your choice.
Video
Notes
1) To get crispy Vazhaipoo vadai, grind the vada batter coarsely. If the batter becomes excessively moist, vadas absorb more oil.
2) You can skip onions if you prefer. But onions give a good taste to the vazhapoo vada.
3) Adjust the salt and chillies quantity based on your taste preference.
Nutrition
Preparation:
- Clean banana florets(check above story)and finely chop them, keep in saltwater.
- Soak gram dal for two hours with a tsp of fennel seeds, a tsp of cumin seeds, 4 red chillies and a stick of cinnamon bark.
Recipe:
- After 2 hours, save a tbsp of soaked dal and coarse grind the mixture in a blender. DO NOT ADD WATER and don’t make it as a paste. Coarsely ground dal gives crispy Vazhaipoo vadai.
- In a mixing bowl, take the ground mixture with the saved soaked dal and add 1/2 cup of chopped onions or shallots.
- Put a tsp of green chillies and a tsp of ginger. Add 1.5tsp of salt, some cut curry leaves and coriander leaves.
- Next, squeeze the water completely from the banana florets and add to the vada mixture.
- Combine everything properly and make small balls, keep aside.
How to cook vazhapoo vadas:
- Heat enough oil to deep fry the vadas.
- Press slightly and make vada shapes. Check the temperature of the oil and slide the vadas slowly. Add vadas in batches and cook at medium-high temperature.
- Do not disturb for a minute atleast until the vadas get cooked on the bottom sides.
- Flip the vadas and fry the other sides of the vadas for a few minutes until they become crisp and brown. When vadas are deep brown in color drain out the vadas from oil.
- Serve Vazhaipoo vadai with hot tea or tomato ketchup or chutney of your choice. If you serve vazhapoo vadai as a side dish, try with rice and Parupu urundai kuzhambu.
Tips:
1) To get crispy Vazhaipoo vadai, grind the vada batter coarsely. If the batter becomes excessively moist, vadas absorb more oil.
2) You can skip onions if you prefer. But onions give a good taste to the vazhapoo vada.
3) Adjust the salt and chillies quantity based on your taste preference.
Try these:
I want to try this recipe but not sure where to get banana florets. What is it exactly?
Hi Pravina,
Sorry for the late reply. Banana florets are commonly known as banana blossom or flower parts. This is widely available in all Asian/Indian vegetable markets.
Hope this helps. Do try the recipe and let me know how it turned out 🙂