Vazha Thandu Thoran - Tender Banana Stem Thoran

Tender Banana Stem thoran can be considered as one among the tastiest vegetable side dishes of a typical Kerala cuisine. The taste of this dish increases when you get the perfect fresh one right from your vegetable garden. And I am lucky enough to have a few banana plant right in the backyard. So as you can guess, we often make this side dish for rice more often. ;)

The real difficulty in the making of this dish is the removal of the sticky fiber while cutting it. But ultimately after the hard work, you will never regret at all, since it is a real delight for the taste buds.

How to cut tender banana stem

Cutting banana stem is easy. You need to remove the outer layers of the stem until you reach the soft central core. Then you need to cut the stem into round pieces. While cutting each circle, you need to pass your finger through the fiber to remove it. Place the round pieces together and cut them into small pieces. Wash them in water and quickly remove them. That’s it.

Ingredients

·         Tender Banana stem – 3 cups

·         Coconut grating- ½ cup

·         Onion- 1 whole

·         Green chilies – 2

·         Garlic – 3 cloves

·         Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

·         Cumin seeds powder – ¼ tsp

·         Curry leaves

·         Mustard seeds

·         Oil

·         Salt

Method

·         Place a pan on a lighted stove and heat it

·         Add 2 tbs of oil and heat it

·         Add mustard seeds and pop them

·         Add curry leaves and simmer the flame

·         Now you may add the finely chopped pieces of tender banana stem and finely chopped onions into the pan.

·         Sauté well

·         Add adequate salt. (NOT TOO MUCH)

·         Close the lid and simmer

·         In a mixer jar, you may grind coconut gratings, cumin seed powder, turmeric powder, shallots , green chilies and garlic for one minute

·         Now open the lid of the pan and add the coconut mix to the stem

·         Mix well and close the lid

·         Open the lid after 10 min. Check whether the vegetable has cooked well

·         If so, switch off the flame and remove the contents to a bowl

·         Serve with rice. It surely is yummy.

·         Enjoy!!