Banana Stem contains very high nutritional values and.  I used to have this vegetable almost every week cooked by my Mother during my childhood days. I feel like now a days this recipe is rarely cooked in home kitchens.  This is a South Indian dish.  Very simple ingredients, quick to cook and tasty.  Here is my Banana Stem Vegetable (know as Vallai Thandu Poriyal in Tamil) recipe.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • Banana Stem – One to One and a half Feet long.  
  • Onion – 2 medium size.  Finely chopped.
  • Fresh Coconut – One small or half Large coconut.  Grate it.
  • Lemon – 2 smal or 1 big size.
  • Salt to taste.
  • Green Chilli – 3 piece.  Finely chopped.
  • Dry Red Chilli – 1 piece. Break it into two or three pieces.
  • Curry Leaves – 10 leaves.
  • Urad Dal (Black Lentil without skin) – 2 tbs.
  • Rai (Mustard seeds) – 1 tbs.
  • Jeera (Cummin) seeds – 1 tbs.
  • Ginger and Garlic paste – Half tbs.
  • Hing (Asafoetida) powder – Half tsp.
  • Cooking Oil – 2 tbs.

Method:

  • Take a large bowl.  Add water upto 3/4th level.  Cut the Lemon and squeeze all the juices into the water.  Drop the squeezed lemon pieces in the water.  Add 1 tbs of salt.  Give it a mix.
  • Take Banana Stem.  Peel/Cut off the outer layers of Banana Stem until you see the soft inner layer (round layer).  This inner soft layer of Banana Stem is to be used to cook this recipe.  Cut it into pieces and remove the fibre from both sides of the cut pieces of soft inner layer of Banana Stem.  Chop it into small rectangular or square cubes. Immediately transfer this small chopped Banana Stem cubes into the lemon/salt water in the bowl.  This procedure is done to avoid reaction with air and oxidation (avoid browning) of chopped Banana Stem. Repeat this step until all the soft inner layer Banana Stem are chopped, fibre removed and cut into cubes. Transfer all of them in the lemon/salt water and keep them in it.
  • Take a large Kadai of Deep Pan.  Add cooking oil and heat it up.  
  • Add Rai, Jeera, Urad Dal into the hot oil and allow them to crackle.
  • Add chopped green chilli and curry leaves.  Give it a mix for a minute or so.
  • Add ginger garlic paste and mix it.  Cook the ginger garlic paste for another 2 to 3 minutes on high flame.
  • Add Asafoetida (Hing) powder and give it a quick mix.
  • Add finely chopped onion.  Cook the onions on high flame until it turns transluscent or light pink.
  • Strain the chopped Banana Stem cubes from water and immediately transfer the chopped Banana Stem cubes into the Kadai.  Stir it well.  Cook it with lid on the Kadai on low flame for 5 to 7 minutes.  Open the kadai lid and mix it well.
  • Increase the flame to high.  Keep cooking the Banana Stem for another 2 minutes on high flame.
  • Add salt to taste.  Mix it well.
  • Add Grated Coconut into the kadai and mix them well.  Cook it on high flame for another 2 minutes by continuously stirring the vegetable.  Then turn off the flame.
  • Healthy Banana Stem Vegetable (Vallai Thandu Poriyal) is ready to be served.
  • Happy Eating.