Vazha koombu thoran |Banana Blossom thoran|Banana Flower stir fry recipe Kerala style|Vazhaipoo poriyal|Mocha recipe

Did you know that a Banana tree is not a tree technically ????...A banana tree is actually a perennial herb and what appears to be the trunk is actually a ,"False stem"- they are nothing but leaves twisting and turning around each other to form a stem that can be approx 12 inches thick and can grow up to 40 feet tall.


Whoaa!..Then that should be one heck of a herb !! Anyways,thanks Wiki for enriching my G.K. !!

In my native place,Kerala, which is a hub of coconut trees swaying in every nook and corner ,if there is any other tree that can be deemed as the tough competitor to those coconut trees,then I believe it should be the "Banana trees...errr...Banana herb/plant".

Almost every household in Kerala has a Banana plant in their backyard ...Even in North India,we use to have one ...In North India,a Banana plant is worshipped as it is believed that Lord Vishnu resides in this plant ..In South India,it is more like an anna daaneshwari meaning "A provider of food" ! ...Each and every part of this plant is used in various ways especially in culinary area .

The leaves are used as a wrapper to make many one-of-a-kind dishes ; During olden days people used to even wrap their entire food in those leaves instead of a tiffin box and it just made the food taste more flavorful....The stems were used in making many recipes as well,the fruits -Green or Yellow Banana were used to eat simply or as any other recipes ,similarly ,the heart of Banana,the Banana flowers are also used for making many homely yet tasty dishes...

Not only that,just like any other herbs or vegetables they are loaded with many vitamins ,minerals,fibers and protein and render lots of health benefits :

DID YOU KNOW ?
(Credit :Livingstrong.com and Stylecraze.com)

1. Banana Flowers can lower especially -Diabetes,Cholesterol,Blood Pressure,Infections,Anemia.
2. Banana Blossoms are anti-inflammatory,anti-depressants,anti-aging and anti-cancer .
3. Banana Blossoms are a superfood for women especially - it helps in keeping the uterus healthy,managing the PCOS(Polycycstic Ovarian Syndrome) ,irregular menses and according to HimalayanHomeRemedies.com,one cooked banana flower + 1 cup yogurt/curd can reduce the heavy menstruation by increasing the level of progesterone hormone .They also increase the milk production in lactating mothers.

WOW!! ...This was one vegetable I dared to cook for a long time .Why ? Well..because I was not sure of how to peel/cut a Banana Blossom properly .If not done properly,there is no doubt that the recipe will be horrible to taste and apt for feeding the cattle only.It is little tricky like the plant's identity itself I believe, but not anymore,now I know how to cut a Banana flower and I've also recorded it so that it will be helpful to any newly weds /very novice cooks especially.SO,please watch my quick video that will demo how to peel a Vaazha Koombu (in Malayalam) a.k.a Banana Flower properly in Kerala style ...This is how, it is done at my place.

Now ,once you know how to cut the Banana Blossom,it is very easy to make any recipe .So,I am gonna share how to make a Vazha Koombu thoran/Banana Blossom recipe ,a stir fry with coconut lentil and mild spices .It is very easy ,tasty and more healthy.

So,please watch the video below which has the recipe in it,so lazy me is not gonna write it again here .So,this is how I make a Vazha koombu thoran /Vazhachundu thoran/ Naadan Kudappan thoran Kerala style recipe at home...

Undoubtedly,a Banana plant deserves to be worshipped ,an unconditional provider for overall consumption and a treasure house of health benefits it is ...

Banana Plant ki Jai hoooo...

P.S.: Two ways to make Banana stem/Vazha pindi thoran