Recipe: Banana Flower Cutlets

Chef Roopa Nabar whips up crisp, nutty patties made from tender banana blossoms, spiced and air-fried.

Pic: TTK Prestige for Rediff

Ingredients

  • 1 small or medium banana flower, stem discarded stem, florets finely chopped, soaked in a mixture of water and buttermilk
  • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic-green chilly paste
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 cup water
Pic: Kind courtesy CEphoto, Uwe Aranas/Wikimedia Commons

Ingredients, continued

  • 2 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled
  • ¼ cup fried peanuts, coarsely ground
  • 2 tbsp finely sliced, fried dry coconut chips
Pic: Kind courtesy Jud McCranie/Wikimedia Commons

Ingredients, continued

  • ¼ tsp haldi or turmeric powder
  • ½ tsp jeera or cumin seeds
  • ½ tsp brown dhania or coriander powder
Pic: Kind courtesy Saral Shots/Wikimedia Commons

Ingredients, continued

  • ½ tsp jeera or cumin powder
  • ½ tsp chilly powder
  • 1 tsp bhaja masala or garam masala
Pic: Kind courtesy Maa chamunda devi enterprises pvt.ltd./Wikimedia Commons

Ingredients, continued

  • ½ tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp raisins
  • 1 tbsp mustard oil + oil for frying the chops
Pic: Kind courtesy Jacek Halicki/Wikimedia Commons

Ingredients, continued

  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh green dhania or coriander leaves or cilantro
  • 2 tbsp cornflour + ¼ cup water, made into a slurry
  • ½ cup breadcrumbs + extra for dusting
  • Salt to taste, about 2 tsp
Pic: Kind courtesy Safa.daneshvar/Wikimedia Commons

Method

  • Add the banana florets to a pressure cooker along with water, salt, turmeric and cook over medium heat for 3 whistles and keep aside.
  • Heat the mustard oil in a saucepan or a kadhai over medium heat.
    Add the cumin seeds, ginger-garlic-green chilly paste and fry.
Pic: Kind courtesy Biswarup Ganguly/Wikimedia Commons

Method, continued

  • Add the onions and sauté for a minute.
    Add the cumin, coriander and chilly powders and fry for a minute more.
    Add the cooked banana florets, peanuts, coconut, raisins, sugar, salt, potatoes, coriander, bhaja masala, breadcrumbs and mix well.
Pic: Kind courtesy Sm faysal/Wikimedia Commons

Method, continued

  • Divide the mixture into 8 to 10 equal portions and shape into oval cutlets.
    Spread breadcrumbs on a plate and keep the cornflour slurry nearby.
    Dip each chop into the slurry, coat with breadcrumbs, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Pic: Kind courtesy Popo le Chien/Wikimedia Commons

Method, continued

  • Preheat an air fryer at 180 °C for 5 minutes.
    Arrange the chops on a silicon plate, brush lightly with oil, increase temperature to 200°C, and air-fry for 3 minutes.
  • Flip, brush with oil, and cook for another 3 minutes and serve hot with kasundi (Bengali mustard sauce); Makes 8-10 servings.

Recipe: Kind courtesy TTK Prestige

Pic: Kind courtesy Sumit Surai/Wikimedia Commons

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