Cook in me Part II

So I was left with Banana flower, which was given by "A"'s friend
Banana flower is malayalam is vazha koombu/Vazha Poovu

During my childhood, whenever we used to visit Kerala, my grandma used to make this dish...I was always told that its very good for health and hence used to have it for the sake of good health
Now when I have a child today, I have developed this taste of liking towards these dishes which are good for health and thank my grandma to give this experience

I called up my grandma and mother in law for their inputs...its funny because both are from opposite parts of Kerala
I belong to North Kerala and hubby belongs to South Kerala...so whenever I make a recipe, I get ideas from both sides and try to make the best of both worlds

So let me share my version of Vazha poovu.thoran

Ingredients
Chopped Banana flowers
Moong dal-1/2 cup
Urad dal-1 tsp
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Curry leaves-1 sprig
Dry Red chilly-1
Oil-1 tbsp
Salt to taste

For coarsely grinding
1 cup Coconut
1 green chilly
2 garlic pods
1/2 tsp Jeera(cumin) powder/1 tsp Jeera (cumin) seeds
2-3 shallots (small onions)

First of all you need to peel layer of petals, under each petal you will find a set of flowers.
Take out the flowers and remove the black head which is found in the middle of each flower. Pull out this entire thread and discard them
Cleaning is the only time consuming part of this dish, trust me its worth it :)
Now chop the flowers and as you chop, put them them in a bowl filled with water and turmeric
Once all flowers are chopped, wash the chopped flowers with water

Take a pan, add some oil. When the oil is hot add mustard seeds,urad dal, dry red chilly, curry leaves and saute
Once seeds are spluttered, add chopped banana flowers and moon dal. Add a pinch of turmeric powder and some water. Add salt and close the vessel until both are cooked well
Make sure that moong dal does not get mushy

In the meanwhile, coarsely grind the ingredients below "For grinding" section

Once banana flowers and moong dal mix is done, make sure that water is evaporated completely
Add the coarsely ground mixture, mix it well and increase the heat level and mix them for 2 minutes and switch off gas.
Immediately transfer to a bowl and add some more curry leaves
Dish is ready to accompany rice and curry :)