Vazhaipoo Kurma – Banana Flower Kuzhambu

Vazhaipoo Kurma – a unique south Indian kuzhambu recipe is very popular in our households… one of the best that I learned from my granny… 😉 what an easy way to include that banana flower in our diet! We don’t find fresh banana flower that often in stores here… but if it shows up, then I would always grab a few and get it prepped for its hibernation in the freezer. Banana flower freezes well and can be stored in freezer friendly boxes for months.

Ingredients

• Banana Flower – 30 florets
• Onion – 1 cup (chopped)
• Green Chili – 2 (slit open)
• Ginger garlic paste – 1 tablespoon
• Tomato – 1/2 cup (chopped)
• Whole Garam masala (1 Bay leaf + 2 cinnamon +3 Cloves +1 cardamom +2 kalpasi + 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds + 1/2 teaspoon Fennel seeds)
• Curry leaves – a few
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Red Chilli powder – 2 teaspoons (I used half spicy type & other half kashmir chilli powder)
• Coriander powder – 2 teaspoons
• Salt – 1 & 1/2 teaspoon
• Water – 2 cups (for pressure cooking)
• Coriander leaves – 2 tablespoons (for garnish)

Ingredients for grinding

• Fresh Coconut – 1 cup
• Cashews – 5
• Poppy seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Water – 1/2 cup

Some Vazhaipoo recipes to try..

1. Vazhaipoo Poriyal
2. Vazhaipoo Usili
3. Vazhaipoo Vadai
4. Vazhaipoo Stir fry

Lets see how to make this Vazhaipoo Kurma…

Heat oil + ghee in a pressure cooker pan. Season with all the garam masala (bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, kalpasi, cumin seeds, fennel seeds) and few curry leaves. Saute chopped onions, green chilies, and ginger garlic paste.

Now add in mint leaves and saute until they wilt a bit.

When the onion mixture turns lioghtly crisp and brown , add in the chopped tomatoes and cook till it gets mushy.

Now add in turmeric powder, red chilli powder (you may add half spicy chili powder & hald kashmir for color if preferred) coriander powder and salt.  Saute to cook the masala a bit.

Add in the vazhaipoo / banana flower petals at this stage. (You may chop the flower or add them straight)

Add in water to make a gravy.  Cover and pressure cook for upto 3 whistles.

Once the pressure realeases, carefully open and gravy with the banana flower will be cooked to perfection with oil floating on top. Keep this simmering over low flame…

Meanwhile in a mixer, take coconut, cashew & poppy seeds and grind to fine paste using little water.

Add this cashew coconut paste to simmering gravy and mix.

Cook for few minutes over low flame and garnish with coriander leaves. Switch off and its ready to be served.

Vazhai poo kurma goes weel with idli, kal dosa and even chapathi… this was packed for lunch box one day… They also taste good topped over hot rice with touch of ghee… pairs well with light pulao or stir fried indian style rich dishes.

Notes

• Serves 4
• Poppy seeds gives a creamy texture and also makes the gravy rich.
• You can add in mixed veggies to this kurma or even throw in a few potatoes to make it more flavorful.
• There are many variations we try at home for the same recipe… less coconut paste make this more like a kuzhambu, more coconut paste makes it kurma.. adding light tamarind extract with light coconut milk makes it poricha kuzhambu…. infinite posssiblities 🙂
• Adding just thick tamarind extract minus garam masala & coconut can make it puli kuzhambu… try the version that you like.
• Vazhaipoo can be chopped before adding but it might gets cooked to soft once to pressure cooker soo.. ignored chopping part.
• You may substitute all the masala powder with 2 tablespoons kuzhambu podi.