Here is the recipe for Vazhapoo (Banana flower) Parupusuli.
Most of the parts of a banana plant are edible – the stem, the flower, the vegetable and the fruit. Of these the stem and the flower provide fiber and have healing properties. It is good to include them in our diet regularly. Below is the recipe for banana flower parupusuli. The difficult part is removing the stamen from the flowers but this provides good exercise to our fingers. It is a good idea to wet one’s hands or apply oil on them before starting. Once the kalan or stamen is removed, cut the flowers into fine pieces and soak them in a bowl of water to which little butter-milk has been added. Once this is done the remaining procedure is simple. The following are the ingredients needed:
Ingredients:
- Vazhapoo (banana flower)-1
- turmeric powder – 1 tsp
- salt-to taste
- kadalai paruppu(channa dal)- 1/2 measure
- tuvaram paruppu-(toor dal)-1/2 measure
- red chillies-3-4
- asafoetida-1 tsp powdered
- oil- 2 ladles or more if desired
- mustard-1 tsp
- curry leaves-a few
Method:
- Cook the cut vazhapoo (banana flowers) either by steaming in a pressure cooker with turmeric and enough salt or boil in water. Place in colander and drain excess water.
- Soak both paruppus along with red chillies for about an hour, drain water and grind coarsely as for parupusuli. Add salt and mix well. Place oil in fry pan and put in the mustard.
- When mustard splatters put in the curry leaf, asafoetida and put in the ground dals. Keep stirring on a low flame till it is done.. If preferred the ground dals can be steamed on an iddli plate and crumbled.
- Once the dals are cooked add the drained vazhapoo and mix thoroughly. Offer it to Perumal along with the thaligai. Usually parupusuli goes well with mor kuzhambu, mendhiya kuzhambu or milagu kuzhambu.
Recipe by Smt Vyjayanthi Rajan
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General guidelines for healthier food – Both body and mind:
- One should be thinking about Perumal (Nama Smaranam) while cooking, and the purpose should be to offer the preparation to Him.
- Once the food is prepared, it should be offered to Perumal first. While offering, one should make sure that the food is neither too hot nor cold. It should be offered with love and affection.
- Please do not offer either pre-cooked food bought from outside or any pre-consumed food.
- Please follow thiruvaradanam kramam as instructed by your respective acharya. (http://anudinam.org/2012/03/08/bhagavad-tiruvaradhanam/)
- Follow ahara niyamam as much as possible. Atleast make sure that onion and garlic are not used at all.(http://anudinam.org/2012/06/11/srivaishnava-ahara-niyamam/)
- Please ensure that food which are not prasadams are not consumed.
