Vazhaipoo Usili

Ingredients
Plantain flower - 1 medium size
channa dal (Kadalai Paruppu, Bengal Gram Dal) - 1/4 cup
Tur dal (Tuvaram Paruppu, Red Lentils) - 1/4 cup
Dried Red chillies - 2 or 3
Green chilli - 1
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Asafoetida (Hing, Perungayam) - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste

For the seasoning 
Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Method
1. Wash and soak both the dals for atleast half an hour.
2. Clean the banana flower and chop it finely. Check out the step by step instructions to clean banana flower.
3. Grind it coarsely along with green chilli, red chillies, asafoetida and salt.
4. Cook the chopped banana flower with little water and salt in a pot. You can also microwave it or steam it. It cooks pretty fast.
5. Simultaneously, take small portions of the ground dal mixture in idli plates (or any vessel) and steam it for about 10 minutes.
6. After it is cooled so that its comfortable to handle, crumble the cooked lentil balls with your hands. Alternatively, just pulse it in the food processor or mixie till it gets crumbled.
7. Heat oil in a kadai and splutter the mustard seeds and curry leaves.
8. Add the crumbled dal mixture and roast it for a few minutes.
9. Add the cooked banana flower and toss everything together. 
10. Check for salt and switch off. Since this vazhaipoo usili has lentils, it goes well with white rice and some non dal curry like mor curry, rasam or puli kulambu. It can also be used as a side for chapattis.

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