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Vazhaipoo vadai
Banana flower dal fritters
வாழைப்பூ வடை: chana dal vadai with finely chopped banana flower, shallots, fennel and green chilli (plus 2 hours soaking)
In villages around Thanjavur and Tirunelveli, where banana groves edge the paddy fields, a fresh banana flower means vazhaipoo vadai for the afternoon tiffin. The florets add a faint bitter-nutty flavour and a meaty bite to the crunchy dal base, and fennel keeps it fragrant. The mistake most people make is skipping the cleaning: each floret has a hard stigma and a papery hood that stay tough and bitter, so pull both out before chopping. Drop the chopped flower straight into buttermilk or turmeric water so it doesn't turn black. Chef's tip: oil your hands with a few drops of the frying oil while you clean the flower, the sticky sap then washes off easily.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the banana flower
- 5 ½ oz banana flower floretscleaned (stigma and hood removed)
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 cups water
For the vadai
- 7 oz chana dal (split Bengal gram)soaked 2 hours
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 8 shallotsfinely chopped
- 2 green chilliesfinely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh gingerfinely chopped
- 12 curry leaveschopped
- 2 tbsp fresh corianderchopped
- 1 tsp salt
For frying
- 3 ¼ cups groundnut or sunflower oil
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Stir ½ tsp ground turmeric into 2 cups water in a bowl. Chop the cleaned 5 ½ oz banana flower florets finely and drop it straight into the water so it stays pale.
15 minStep 2: Drain the flower, then squeeze it very dry in your fists.
3 minStep 3: Drain the soaked 7 oz chana dal (split Bengal gram) well. Grind with 3 dried red chillies and 1 tsp fennel seeds in short pulses, with no water, to a coarse, grainy paste.
4 minStep 4: Mix in the banana flower, 8 shallots, 2 green chillies, 1 tbsp fresh ginger, 12 curry leaves, 2 tbsp fresh coriander and 1 tsp salt. The mix should hold when pressed.
4 minStep 5: Pour 3 ¼ cups groundnut or sunflower oil into a heavy kadai or deep pan, no more than a third of its depth, and heat over medium-high to 175–350°F. No thermometer? Drop in a small cube of bread: it should sizzle at once and turn golden in about 40 seconds. Keep a lid and a dry tray nearby and never leave the hot oil unattended.
8 minStep 6: Shape lime-sized balls into flat discs about 1 cm thick with wet palms and slide 4–5 into the oil away from you.
3 minStep 7: Fry, turning once, until a deep reddish-gold all over and the bubbling around them dies down, about 4–5 minutes. They should sound hollow when tapped.
13 minStep 8: Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with coconut chutney.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 31 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 10 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does vazhaipoo vadai take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
- What can I use instead of fennel seeds?
- Aniseeds, same amount (a stronger liquorice taste).
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