vazhaipoo Paruppu Usili/plantain flower scrambled lentils is a Traditional South Indian side dish/curry cooked with lentils and vegetables. Usually paruppu usili is made with many vegetables like beans, cluster beans, cabbage, banana flower (vazhaipoo). This is very popular among tamil brahmins. I have prepared it in typical Iyer style. Since usili has lentils in it, when ever I prepare paruppu usili , i prepare with sambar/rasam varieties/mor kuzhambu/vathakozhambu. sharing below simple steps to make paruppu usili with plantain flower. for other vegetables, cooking the vegetable alone is varied
Ingredients to make Vazhaipoo Parupu Usili /Plantain Flower Scrambled Lentils:
- plantain flower -1
- tur dal – 1/2 cup (100 grams)
- channa dal. -1/2 cup (100 grams)
- salt as requried
- oil as required
- buttermilk -1/4 cup
- water as required
- mustard seeds – 1 tsp
- urad dal – 1 tsp
- curry leaves
- red chilies – 3-4
Pre- soak both tur dal and urad dal in water for 2 hours
Method:
Step 1 : how to clean and cook plantain flower
- take out the outer petal of a plantain flower and can see a bunch of florets inside
- remove the stamen (a small stick like structure) from each floret
- Finely chop the florets and put it in the vessel filled with buttermilk water
- Repeat The Process For All The Florets In Petals…
- keep on removing the outer cover. at one stage, the florets will be so small that do not need to remove the stamen (they will be very tender) and hence chop it as such
- Pressure cook for three whistles or steam cook for 10-12 minutes in water.Keep this aside
Step 2: Preparing lentil / dal:
- in a mixie jar, add dal ( removing excess water), red chilies, curry leaves
- Grind the mixture into fine paste without adding much water
- in idli plate, spread the dal mixture into parts and steam cook for 12-15 minutes
- after cooked, allow to to come to room temperature by placing in a wide plate (to check if cooked – pinch inside the cooked dal using knife and dal should not stick in knife)
- crumble the content by hands / blend it in pulse mode gives uniform particles
Now, plantain flower and dal is cooked. ready for frying together
Step 3: frying dal and plantain flower:
- in a vessel, add oil. Once hot, add mustard seeds. let it splutter
- add urad dal, red chili, curry leaves and hing/asoefotida(optional)
- cooked tur dal and plantain flower is added along with required salt. let it cook for 3-5 minutes
- vazhaipoo paruppu usili/plantain flower scrambled lentil is ready
- serve hot with rice varieties or sambar varieties
Variations– Instead of plantain flower, you can use cabbage, french beans or cluster beans
