Banana Flower Veggie Cutlets


picture courtesy Mongabay.com

The Crimson color edible banana flower\banana blossom\banana heart commonly used in the South Asian cooking,is an unusual tropical vegetable. Its also sold in well stocked Asian grocers in US.The stemmed flowers are tightly wrapped in rows around the leaves\bracts.Flowers and inner bracts can be used in stir-fries,fritters(vada),salad,lentils ,nuggets,gravies and also in soups and stews.


Seena's Banaflower cutletsis one of the most delicious recipe with banana flowers.The tough part of the flower is the stamen\filament,make sure its separated before using in cooking.

Ingredients
15-20 flowers ,separate the tough stamen.
1 big russet or Idaho potato,boiled and mashed
1/2 cup broccoli florets,steamed or boiled until tender
3-4 baby carrots,boiled and mashed
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ginger and garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon or more Chilly powder
1/2 teaspoon each of cumin and coriander powder.
2 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro\coriander leaves
2 tablespoon Olive oil or Vegetable oil
1 slice Whole wheat bread, pulse in a processor to make fresh bread crumbs or use any store bought bread crumbs.

Method
Cook the banana flowers in boiling water with pinch of salt and turmeric until tender ,about 10 minutes.
Drain all water and finely chop the cooked flowers.Mash the broccoli and carrots and squeeze out any excess water using a paper towel.Mix all the veggies in to the mashed potatoes until well combined.
In a pan heat a teaspoon of oil and add the ginger and garlic paste. Saute for 2-3 minutes until lightly brown. Add the spices and saute for about 2 minutes until aromatic. Add the mashed veggies and stir to combine,turn heat off. When cool enough to handle , shape in to round or any desired shape patties. Lay the bread crumbs on a plate and coat the patties with crumbs on both side, shed any excess crumbs.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan on medium heat and shallow fry until lightly brown on both sides. Serve in a sandwich or with Rice\Sambhar or Salads.

Nutritive benefits of Banana flower
Good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin A,B vitamins,potassium,magnesium,phosphorus Calcium and iron.
Medicinal value
Used in treatment of bronchitis ,constipation and ulcers,good for diabetics.Reduces painful and excess menstrual bleeding.Also believed to enhance milk supply in lactating mothers.

Banana Flower cutlets are my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging ,hosting the event this week is Chriesi of Almond Corner

Comments

Chandani said…
very unusual recipe for me, but the cutlets look wonderful. and the medical benefits are amazing, will have to give this a try soon...
Chandani said…
btw, congratulations for the prize-winning granola recipe :)
Cynthia said…
I did not realize that one can make cutlets with them too!
Sara said…
I've seen banana flowers in a local grocery store, but never knew what to do with them! These look great.
Finla said…
Wow i love that first picture so beautiful.
I have never had cutlets with this. Looks yumm
Deepthi Shankar said…
thatz a great recipe Yasmeen
Cham said…
We make vadas so why not cutlet! Cool they look delicous!
i love these cutlets. ur cutlets are tempting me very much. but i don't get banana flowers here :(
anudivya said…
Separating the flowers to get its edible part is a pain, but I love vazhaippoo... I have had vadais made of them.
CurryLeaf said…
I love these.Perfect dish,but separating is a pain.I try another version(used to try ie lazy me)from a magazine,this looks so perfect Yasmeen.Love it.
CurryLeaf said…
CONGRATS AND SHARE THE GRANOLA WITH US AS WELL :)
wow superb cutlets yasmeen. we make vadas out of this... Pretty color and taste... goood info of the banana flower. thanks.
Unknown said…
That looks so cripsy and tasty , I have heard about vazhappoo cutlet, never had it , we make a thoran out of it. here in my area, we dont get good qualit ones in indian store:(
Uma said…
lovely idea to make cutlets with banana flower. looks yummy.
Ivy said…
How lovely! I've never seen banana blossoms before and I can imagine that this would be a delicious recipe.
Anonymous said…
I didn't anything about the nutritious banana blossoms,thanks for the info.
Anonymous said…
Pretty blossom,incredibly healthy.
Anonymous said…
beautiful banana blossoms,I've never seen them in stores.
Raks said…
beautiful pics and usually i make vadas,this sounds good!
notyet100 said…
thats a nice info on banana flowers,..nd the recipe looks yum....
Bharti said…
I'm always so intimidated by this vegetable...never had the guts to buy it. One of the days when I'm feeling more confident, I'll buy it and make this.
Virginie said…
I was wondering how we cook these flowers. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Sunshinemom said…
At my place, all the banana flower recipes are made by my husband. I just don't have the patience for cleaning them. Maybe I should just show him this:) We make vadas so I can imagine the taste of these cutlets - lipsmacking:). Hey! Congrats on winning the prize for the granola bars!

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