Banana Flower Recipes

Banana Flower Recipes are common in South Indian meals.

They use the banana flowers to prepare delicious and tangy vegetarian recipes. But it is a time-consuming job. You need to remove all the outer layers of the flower which are colored until you reach the inner white-layered flower. Most people include the outer flower buds (florets) lined up between the layers for cooking these recipes. However, to avoid too much strain, it is better to consider only the inner white-layered flower for preparation.

This inner flower is cut into pieces and then minced in a jar to become fine pieces. While cutting the flower or stem or any banana part, your hands will become dark with its sticky juice. To avoid this, you may apply some oil to your hands before starting to cut.

I prepare two kinds of Banana Flower recipes. 

One recipe uses tamarind juice and mustard paste like the banana stem recipe.

The other recipe involves adding split green gram, which should be soaked in water for 20 to 30 minutes before preparation. It doesn't use tamarind.

I am providing detailed preparation instructions for these two types of recipes.

1) Banana Flower Recipe- Sour and Tangy

The taste of this vegetable recipe is both pungent and sour stimulating all your taste buds into action. You feel excited and delighted with the aroma of it.

Ingredients Required

• banana flower
• mustard seeds 20 grams (per medium-sized flower) for making the paste
• tamarind 20 to 30 grams for preparing juice
• oil for frying/topping (one table spoon)
• red chili pieces or powder
• split chickpea and black gram (each one spoonful)
• cumin, mustard seeds, and asafoetida for topping
• salt 1/2 spoon and turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
• you may add cashew nuts and peanuts also

Sour & Tangy Banana Flower Recipe Preparation Tips

• Keep the banana flower florets/pieces ready by removing the outer layers of the flower bunch
• Soak the tamarind in a cup of water for 30 minutes in advance and extract the juice
• Make the mustard paste by grinding the seeds in a small grinding jar and adding water slowly to prepare a soft paste
• You can cook the flower pieces in a pressure cooker or directly cook in the cooking pan
• If pressure-cooked, you will add the cooked ingredient to other items while frying them in the pan
• Similarly, you can add the tamarind juice while pressure-cooking or cooking in the deep frying pan
• If cooking directly in the deep frying pan, heat the oil and drop the ingredients of red chili pieces, mustard seeds, cumin, asafoetida, cashew nuts, peanuts, etc. frying them to a golden hue
• Now, add the banana flower ingredients and mix them well for some time
• Add the tamarind juice and mix again
• After that, add the salt and turmeric powder, mix well, and place a tight lid
• Keep mixing the recipe every 2 to 3 minutes to keep track of the cooking
• When the florets are finely cooked, the recipe will sport a pleasant and delicious golden/brown hue. 
• Your recipe is ready for serving. You can serve it 4 to 5 persons.

Banana Flower-Mung Bean Vegetarian Recipe

This recipe is prepared using split mung bean as a component of banana flowers.

Ingredients Required

• Banana florets/ flower pieces One-and-Half to 2 cups
• split mung bean 1/2 cup
• ginger and green chilies
• coconut grated 1/2 cup
• mustard seeds, cumin, asafoetida, and oil one spoonful for topping
• fresh coriander leaves

Banana Flower-Mung Bean Recipe Preparation Tips

• Before starting, keep the mung bean soaked in water for 15 to 20 minutes
• Cook the banana flower pieces/florets in a pressure cooker for a period of up to 2,3 whistles
• Cut or slice small and thin pieces of ginger and green chili as per your requirements
• Now, place the deep frying pan on the flame adding one spoonful of oil
• When the oil gets heated, drop the mustard seeds, cumin, and a pinch of asafoetida powder. Fry for some seconds and add the sliced pieces of ginger, and chili to it. Fry for some time till you hear the splitting sounds of mustard and chili pieces.
• Now, add the soaked mung bean and salt. Mix thoroughly and place a lid. Let it cook for 5 minutes at low flame. The mung bean should mix well with the banana flower and become soft and edible.
• Now add the grated coconut and coriander leaves. Mix thoroughly for 30 seconds and put off the flame.
• Your recipe is ready for serving. You can serve it to 4 or 5 persons.