“Banana Flower Pakoda”, (Fritters) hold a special place in our home, especially during summer vacations when my son returned from college. These crispy, flavourful fritters were one of his favorite evening snacks, and he often requested as soon as he arrived. Banana Flower Fritters, also known as Banana Blossom Pakoras, are a delicious and unique snack.
This dish is a popular delicacy in various parts of India, especially in regions where banana plants are abundant. Fritters are typically enjoyed as an appetizer or tea-time snack, served with a side of chutney or ketchup. This dish is a perfect way to enjoy the lesser-known parts of the banana plant, turning them into a delightful and crunchy treat.
It is a perfect for enjoying with family during those relaxed summer evenings.
Ingredients:
- Banana flower: 1no (medium size).
- Onion: 1no. (Big size)
- Green chilli: 2 no.
- Ajwain (carom seeds): half teaspoon
- Kalongi (onion seed): ¼ spoon
- Besan (gram flour): half cup
- Water: half cup
- Meetha soda (Sodabicarb): 1 pinch
- Salt: half teaspoon
- Oil: for deep frying
Preparation:
- Remove outer red layer of banana flower
- Remove outer layer of banana flower till white layer comes.
- Keep bunch of flower aside.
- Remove hard stem from each flower. Cut each bunch very fine pieces.
- Put all cutting into a bowl filled with water (otherwise it will turn dark brown as it contains lot of iron)
- Cook and boil this banana flower till it become soft. (We can do it in the cooker or microwave)
- Strain water with the help of strainer. Keep aside.
- Chop onion and green chilli, keep aside.
Method:
- Take a bowl. Put Besan, banana flower, salt, onion, green chilli and Meetha soda in it.
- Make a smooth batter with the help of water.
- Take kadhai (fry pan), heat oil; let oil to smoke.
- Drop small size batter in it. (Either helps of your hand or spoon)
- If batter comes up, it means right temperature of oil otherwise wait for a while and test again.
- After getting right temperature of oil, deep fry all pakoda (size of your choice), till golden brown. Keep aside.
- Repeat this till all batter is finished.
- Banana flower pakoda is ready to be served.
Banana flower pakoda by Nag Ratna Sahu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.