Banana Flower Vada

Ingredients

Banana Flower (Vazhaipoo) : 1
Chana Dal (Kadalai Paruppu) : 1 cup, soaked in water for 1 hr
Cinnamon : 1" piece
Clove : 2
Fennel seeds : 1 tsp
Ginger : 2" piece
Garlic : 1
Red chillies : 8
Onion : 1 small
Curry leaves : 4-5
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry

Method

1. Chop onions and curry leaves very fine and keep aside. Chop banana florets very fine and soak in water (this is to avoid it turning black due to oxidation).
2. Drain the water from the chana dal and keep half a handful aside.
3. Take the rest of the chana dal, cinnamon, clove, fennel seeds, ginger, garlic, salt and red chillies and grind to a paste with very little water.
4. Add the rest of the chana dal, chopped onion, curry leaves and banana florets and mix well with your hand.
5. Heat oil in a pan. Make small flattened rounds of the mixture and deep fry till golden brown. You can even make them bite size. Make sure the oil is hot enough else the vada will turn out soggy and oily. To check if the oil is ready drop a small piece of the batter in it. If it rises immediately, the oil is ready.
6. Serve hot with tomato ketchup or coconut chutney.