VaazhaiPoo/PlantainFlower kootu

Ingredients:

Vaazhaipoo/Plantainflower - 1
Moong dal - 1/4 cup
Cumin seeds/Jeeragam - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Hing - A pinch
Small Onion - 10-15 nos
Red chilli - 2nos
Curry leaves - few
Coriandar leaves - few


Method:

1. Boil moong dal with cumin seeds and keep it aside.
2. Boil the chopped plantain flower with turmeric and 1/4 tsp of salt.
3. Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, add onion, redchilli and curryleaves and fry until you see golden brown color in onion.
4. Add the boiled plantain flower, moong dal and mix well. Add salt if needed.
5. Add coriander leaves and boil for 2-3mins, so that the dal and plantain flower mix well.

Note:

Do you know this? Which tree has no wood? Its Banyan tree/Vaazha maram. Each and every portion of the tree is very useful. Few things are listed, whichever i know.
1. If you eat in the young leaf of banyan tree, its very good for health.
2. The flower and the inner stem of this tree are very good for the funtionality of kidney. Especially gents must have this weekly once.
3. And the banana, every one knows its a healthy fruit. Kids grow up if they have banana daily.

Now, hope you feel how its important to have this dish. If you don't know to clean this flower here are the easy 3 steps. On seeing the picture itself you can understand very easily. In a bowl of water add 2 tsp of curd, so that the flower retains its color, otherwise it will turn black.


Step1: Rub the tip of the flower, so that you could see the gynesium part of the flower. Pull that out, you can find another part of the flower too which should be removed.





















Step2: Pluck these two from the flower






















Step3:Keep it aside and chop the flower

Jeera Rice

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup
Cumin seeds(Jeeragam) - 1 tsp
Green chilli - 3 nos
Mint leaves - few(optional)
Coriander leaves - A hand full
Salt - 1/2 tsp or as per need
Oil / Ghee - 2 tsp
Kesar color - A pinch






Method:

1. Soak rice in water for 30 mins, after that drain water and keep it aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add splutter cumin seeds.
3. Add green chilli, mint and coriander leaves.
4. Add 2 cups of water, salt and wait until it boil [If you add more cups of rice, then reduce 1/2 cup of water]
5. Add rice now and close the lid.
6. When you see there is no water in the rice, simmer the gas and close the lid for another 5 mins.
7. Then, mix kesar color in 1 tsp of water and sprinkle here and there and mix well.

Note:

Very simple dish. If you want to get best cook applause, you can try this. I got a big applause from my friends. You can try any gravy item(veg/non-veg) as side dish. Paneer butter masala, that too if you make, mm...who knows, you may be crowned as "Samayal Rani". You can also refer my cauliflower-peas masala to prepare paneer butter masala.