Benefits of banana stem is it helps in regulating blood pressure and promoting bone health. Doctors recommend banana stem juice for UTI infections, kidney stones and gall bladder stones. It manages weight and controls acidity.
When at parents house we get fresh banana stem / vazhathandu from the garden. Though I make sambar and stir fry with vazhathandu but this time my mom taught me how to make a dish with banana stem and vanpayar. It tasted so good that I am going to prepare it quite often.
In this recipe chopped banana stem is pressure cooked with vanpayar and then it is stir fried with mustard, curry leaves, onions and at last freshly grated coconut is added. Cooking in coconut oil also enhances the taste of the dish.
INGREDIENTS
- Vazathandu chopped 2 cups
- Black eyed beans(vanpayar) 1/2 cup
- Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
- Coconut oil 1-2 tbsp
- Onion finely chopped 1
- Mustard seeds 1 tsp
- Red whole chillies 2
- Coconut grated 1/2 -3/4 cup
- Salt to taste
METHOD
Chop the vazathandu finely ,add turmeric powder and salt, pressure cook with black eyed beans for three whistles or until cooked.
In a kadai heat coconut oil add mustard seeds, let it splutter. Add the onions, red dry chillies ( break into half) , curry leaves and let onions become transparent. Add the cooked Unnithandu -black eyed beans/vanpayar and cook for five minutes.( If lot of water is there after pressure cooking , drain it).
Add grated coconut, check for salt. Mix it well.
Serve hot with steamed rice.