Soak 2 cups of Channa dhal and 1 tsp of rice for about half an hour, along with 5/6 red chillies, some curry leaves.
Drain the water from the soaked items and grind everything coarsely with out adding water, or if it looks too dry just sprinkle little water.
Have the flower cleaned the inner stems removed, and chopped finely
Now add salt to taste, some hing, chopped coriander leaves and the cut flowers and mix everything together .
Heat oil in a pan
Make small balls of the ground mixture and flatten them lightly in your palm and drop them into hot oil, keeping the gas in low flame.
Wait till it is cooked on both sides and turns golden brown
Take it out and serve it just like that.
Some people add lots of masalas, and onion and garlic, but to get the subtle taste of the Banana flower it is best not to add any masalas. it also doesn't need chutney/ sauce etc.
Eating it plain is the best way to savour the lovely taste of the banana flower
Some tips:
Cleaning and cutting the banana flower is a tough job, but I have wonderful husband to do it for me, it needs lots of patience, and must be done properly. One should always apply some oil to the hands and then only start cleaning, chopping the flower. Also as you keep chopping the flowers, chopped pieces should be put into buttermilk, so that they don't become black.
Before mixing it with the vada batter, it must be strained completely, as there should not be any water/ buttermilk in the ground mixture. Also don't mix everything and keep it in the fridge as it will not come out well. Mix everything and make it immediately. To get crisp vadas please follow these tips.
