Vazhaipoo Vadai (A.k.a) Banana flower vadai is a traditional Chettinad recipe. the mild flavor of fennel seeds along with slight bitterness from the banana flower makes this lip-smacking vadai. The banana flower is full of nutrients. The medicinal value of the banana flower is such that it can regulate insulin levels in the blood. It is a boon for women’s uterus health. Regular consumption provides great benefits to health. It is very rare for me to get vazhaipoo here. But whenever I find them, I quickly grab one. Vazhaipoo poriyal or usli is what I do with this mostly. However, sometimes the flower is so big that it 2could not use them on one go. So I store the rest and make this vazhaipoo vadai. This vadai can be a side dish for the lunch or can be served as an evening snack. The flavor of this vadai is such that we do not need any accompaniment for it when served as a snack.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Wash and soak the channa dal along with raw rice for 3 hours.
- Meanwhile, clean the vazhaipoo and finely chop them. Place them soaked in water until use.
- Once the dal is soaked, drain the water and wash them. Place them in a mixer. Add red chili, salt, and grind them very coarse.
- Remove them from the mixer and transfer to a wide bowl. Add required salt, fennel seeds, chopped vazhaipoo / Banana Flower, curry leaf. Finally, add rice flour and mix them well uniformly.
- Heat oil in a pan. Pinch out a medium-sized ball from the vadai dough and flatten them in between the palms. Once the oil is heated up, slowly slide the flattened vadai from the sides.
- Cook for a minute and flip over the other side until both sides are cooked and turn brown. The aroma that it renders while frying is divine. Drain from oil and place on a paper tissue to drain excess oil. Serve with rice or as an evening snack.
Notes
- You can also grind the fennel seeds along with the vazhaipoo. However, it renders a strong flavor, so I decided to add them as such to the dough.
- Urad dal can also be added along and soaked with channa dal.
- This vadai can also be baked in an oven at 300 F for 25 mins instead of deep-frying.