Plantain Flower Bud

Arati Puvvu Mogga

Ingredients:

Plantain Flower 1
Red Chile Powder few pinches
Lemon 1
Salt to taste

Method of preparation:

Peel all the outer petals of the plantain flower.
Keep removing the petals until you can’t go any further.
What remains is a 2 – 3 inch diameter bud.
Soak the bud in water until needed.

Just before serving, chop the plantain flower bud into thin slices.
Squeeze few drops of lemon on each side of the slice.
Sprinkle red chile powder and salt.
Serve immediately.

Notes: Use the removed flowers to make either plantain flower dal or plantain fritters.

Plantain Flower Dal

Ariti Puvvu Podi Pappu

Ingredients:

Plantain Flower 1
Toor Dal 1 1/2 cups
Garlic 5 pods
Green Chiles 4
Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Talimpu:

Urad Dal 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds 1 tsp
Broken Red Chiles 3
Asafoetida a pinch
Oil 1 tbsp

Method of preparation:

Peel more than half of the petals from the plantain flower.
Check this to see how to remove hard stem and hard covering of each flower.
Chop the prepared flowers roughly.
Aplly salt and leave for 10 minutes.
Then refresh under cold water and squeeze off the excess water.

Remove stems, wash and slit green chiles.
Peel and remove hard ends of the garlic pods.

Wash toor dal in water thoroughly.
In a small sauce pan, cook toor dal in 2 cups of water until just cooked and soft from inside.

Heat oil in a wok, add garlic and all talimpu ingredients in order.
When dal changes color, add green chiles, chopped plantain flower and salt.
Add about half a cup of water and cook for about 5 minutes.
Then add cooked toor dal and turmeric powder.
Mix thoroughly and remove from heat once all the moisture is evaporated.
Serve hot with steamed rice.

Notes: Toor dal needs to be cooked right.

Plantain Flower Fritters

Arati Puvvu Vadalu

Ingredients:

Plantain Flower 1 small
Chana Dal 1 cup
Onion 1
Green Chiles 3-5
Cilantro few sprigs
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method of preparation:

Remove the petals and seperate the flowers.
Remove the hard covering and hard stem in each flower.
Refer to this plantain flower.
Chop the flowers finely, apply salt and leave aside.
Wash under water and squeeze all the water out.

Peel and finely chop onion.
Remove stems, wash and finely chop green chiles.
Wash and roughly chop cilantro.

Wash and soak chana dal for 5 hours.
Drain the water, wash thoroughly and grind the soaked chana dal coarsely without adding water.

Heat oil in a deep frying pan on medium high heat.
Combine the squeezed plantain flowers with ground chana dal, chopped onion, green chillies, cilantro and salt.
Test the oil by dropping small amount of above plantain flower mixture into oil. If the batter rises quickly then the oil is ready.
Take a lemon sized amount of above mixture onto left hand and press it lightly with right hand to form a 2 inch disk.
Drop the disk into hot oil slowly and repeat the same with remaining plantain flower mixture until the frying pan is full.
Fry the disks on both sides until golden brown and remove onto absorbent paper.
Make sure the oil is not smoking hot before you start the next batch.
Serve hot as a snack or serve with rice and ghee.

Notes: Don’t leave the flowers outside for long for they turn black easily.

Happy Ugadi & Talimpu Anniversary

Ugadi Pachadi

Ingredients:

Neem Flowers 1 tbsp
Raw Mango 1/2
Ripe Banana 2
Fresh Coconut 1/2
Jaggery 3/4 cup
Tamarind 2 inch sized ball
Red Chili Powder to taste
Salt to taste

Method of preparation:

Soak tamarind in a cup of water and extract all the pulp.
Grate and soak jaggery in a cup of water.
Wash and finely chop mango discarding the seed.
Peel and slice banana into circles.
Break coconut into small pieces and finely chop the white skin.

Mix tamarind extract, jaggery water and create a somewhat thick liquid by adding water.
Then add chopped mango, banana, coconut, neem flowers, red chili powder and salt.
Mix thoroughly and adjust all the above ingredients if required.
Some people mash the banana to make thick ugadi pachadi.
You can also add sugarcane, roasted chana dal…

Notes: If using banana, make sure to add it just before serving.

Neem Flower Rasam

Vepa Puvvu Charu

Ingredients:

Dried Neem Flowers 1 tbsp
Tamarind 1 inch ball
Turmeric powder a pinch
Ghee 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Talimpu:

Chana dal 1 tbsp
Urad dal 1 tsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Broken red chilllies 8
Fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves 4
Oil 1 tsp

Method of preparation:

In small pan, heat ghee and fry neem flowers until light brown.

Heat oil in deep vessel, add all talimpu ingredients in order.
When chana dal turns light brown, add 4-5 cups of water.
Add tamarind, turmeric powder and salt.
Bring to boil and turn off the heat.
Mix in fried neem flowers and serve with rice.

Notes: Take care not to burn neem flowers.