Passport & Plate - Bengali-style banana flower 2 ways
Bangladesh | Tuesday, February 18, 2014 | 5 photos
Ingredients
Bengali-style Banana Flower 2 Ways (Curry and Chutney)
Ingredients:
For curry:
1 whole banana flower
2 medium-sized potatoes diced
2 teaspoon mustard oil
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
2 whole dried red chili
2-3 green chili
1 teaspoon each of cumin and coriander powders
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon ghee
A generous pinch of Garam Masala powder
Salt according to taste
Coriander and lemon for garnish
For Chutney:
Heart of the banana flower used above
2-3 teaspoon whole black mustard seeds
4-5 green chili
2 teaspoon mustard oil
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt according to taste
Steps for cleaning and sorting the banana flower:
1. Unfurl the snugly enclosed outer bracts of the flower to reveal the bunch of florets inside.
2. Pull out these florets.
3. Inside each floret lies a stalk with a tiny head and a plastic-y looking membrane attached to the bottom. (Refer to photo)
Remove both of these from each floret as they are not easily digested when consumed.
4. Repeat the process i.e. Unfurl Bract-->Pull our florets-->Pull out stalk and membrane from each floret, till you reach the cream-colored heart of the flower. When do you know you have found the heart? When you can unfurl bracts easily no more.
How to prepare this recipeMethod:
1. Wash the cleaned and sorted florets and the heart. Chop the florets roughly, and cut the flower heart into 4 pieces. In a saucepan, boil water with a little salt and turmeric. Boil the chopped florets in the water along with the flower heart pieces for 7-10 mins, till they are all al dente. Drain the water. Keep aside.
2. For Curry:
- In a pan/wok, heat the oil and add cumin seeds, bay leaf and dried red chili.
- When the cumin seeds start to splutter, add the diced potatoes and sauté until golden brown.
- Add the banana florets and the green chili (roughly sliced).
- Add salt, sugar and turmeric.
- In a bowl, mix the cumin and coriander powders with a little water to make a paste. Add this paste to the pan/wok and mix.
- Add a cup of water and let it simmer on medium flame till the potatoes become tender and the water dries up, leaving behind a thick curry (Refer to photo for right consistency).
- Add the ghee and garam masala and stir for a minute.
- Garnish with chopped coriander and lemon slices.
4. For Chutney:
- With a mortar and pestle, grind the mustard seeds and green chili into a fine paste with a little water. Add a little salt while grinding to take out the bitterness of the mustard seeds.
- In a bowl, mash the boiled banana flower heart with a fork, just like you would do for mashed potatoes. Use your hands if you want a more uniform paste.
- Introduce the mustard-chili paste to the mashed banana flower heart, add turmeric powder and salt.
- Pour in the mustard oil a little at a time and mix everything till you have a uniform thick paste.
- Transfer to a dip bowl.
Serving Tip:
Bengali-style banana flower curry can be served hot with either rice or roti (flatbread), banana flower chutney and fried papadam.
Serve the spicy, pungent chutney either hot or cold, alongside any Indian meal as an accompaniment. Give it the fusion twist and use as a sandwich spread or serve as a dip with nachos and chips!
The story behind this recipeIn colonial India, before the country won its independence from British rule and before it was partitioned, there was a village named Bikrampur in the east, about 20 kms from present day Dhaka. Blessed with two large rivers, Padma and Meghna, it boasted highly fertile lands and rich green fields that grew among other crops, rows and rows of banana plants.
In that village, resided a woman named Draupadi with her two children. Widowed at 17 and shunned by her in-laws, she bore upon her the task of raising her kids by working as a field-hand for a rich Zamindar. She was paid in kind, as was the norm of the day, with a small quota of food grains every month. But what she was allowed to take back to her heart’s content were any part of the banana plants that grew so abundantly around the fields. Thus, Draupadi would bring home not just ripe bananas to eat as fruits but also banana flowers to make into a delicious curry. As a special treat for her children, she would also sometimes make a spicy chutney of the flower’s heart.
In 1947, India gained independence and was partitioned into India and Pakistan, which was further divided geographically into west (present day Pakistan) and east (present day Bangladesh). Bikrampur became a part of East Pakistan and scores of refugees migrated from there into Assam in India. Draupadi with her two children were among them. With untouched natural beauty, accentuated by the mighty river Brahmaputra, Assam for them was as close to home as possible. Here Draupadi started a new life, but the love for and memories of her erstwhile motherland lived on through the old recipes that she would prepare for generations to come.
Banana flower curry is now a favorite across many Bengali households which have cared to learn the recipe from older generations. But the chutney recipe was Draupadi’s guarded secret. That is until a decade or so ago when she finally let it out at her great-granddaughter’s birthday bash. That was the day I turned 12.
