The Vazhalai poo Koottu or the plaintain flower koottu is widely used by south indians and bengalis in their recipes. Here am showing you the Tamil Nadu style Plaintain flower koottu or vazhalai poo koottu. Plaintain Flower looks like the above pic and cuisine is prepared from the flower which is seen in the middle of the red leaf. Those flowers are called Vazhalai poo. Preparing a Vazhalai poo recipe is considered a long process since flowers are to be separated , cleaned and then used for cooking. 

Here I would give you a important  tip. Chopping this Valaipoo is messy thing and you might end up making your hands dirty. Apply coconut oil on your hands before touching and removing the thief and chopping the Valai poo, this way you can keep your hands from getting messy.










Vazhalai Poo koottu is widely known among tamilans and south parts of india. It has to be prepared with lot of care since it may give a tangy or sour taste if not cooked well. In this blog am giving you the simple way to prepare it .






Preparation for Plaintain Flower:

• Pluck the whole bunch and rub it in your palms, a taller stem can e seen visible in the middle of the flower. Just remove that stem .
• Removing this stem gives a good taste to the recipe , or else that stem which is called "kallan" can spoil the taste of the recipe.
• Remove all the stems from the flower in the similar pattern. Only the flowers are used for cooking the pink leaves are not used in process.
• Collect all the flowers and store it a vessel to start with the recipe. Add some water into the vessel, 3-4 tbsp of buttermilk and salt , mix and keep aside for some time. This way the flowers stays fresh for long even upto 1 week.
• Remove the bracts of the flower. Remove its male stamen and transluscent pith as well. Then chop them roughly and leave in cold water .

Ingredients:
Plantain flower 1
Thoordal -1/4 cup
Moong Dal- 1/4 cup.
Green chilies 3 finely chopped
Onion 1 finely chopped
Garlic 6 cloves chopped
Ginger 2" peeled and chopped
Tomatoes 1-2 fienly chopped
Salt - to taste
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 1/2 spoon
Mustar seeds 1/4 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Curry leaves few
Oil few spoons
Coriander leaves few to garnish.
Method:

1. Cook the dals seperately in a pressure cooker and set aside.
2. In a pan, add oil and heat it.
3. Add chillies and allow it to crackle. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and allow it to crackle.
4. Add ginger garlic paste and saute till its raw odour changes.
5. Add onions and salt. Fry till onions turn to golden color.
6. Now add tomatoes, cover and cook. Once tomatoes is cooked, add the chopped plaintain flowers and stir-in finely chopped flower.
7. Fry for few minutes, maybe till the vegetables coats oil.
8. Add the cooked dal and saute for 2 minutes.
9. Cover and cook over medium heat.
10. When the vegetable is done soft and much of the moisture is absorbed, remove from heat.
11. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro leaves.
12. Serve warm as a side dish for South Indian Meals or as a subzi for chappathi/roti.

Making Time: 45 minutes. (excluding the time for cleaning , removing stem and chopping them).
Serves: 4 persons.
Shelflife: 1 day.
Serving Suggestion: Serve with rice. 
Tip: Chopping this Valaipoo is messy thing and you might end up making your hands dirty. Apply coconut oil on your hands before touching and removing the thief and chopping the Valai poo, this way you can keep your hands from getting messy.


Note: Even salt and lemon juice can be added to avoid it from discolouring instead of adding buttermilk.
Click here to know all about Tamil Nadu cuisines- Introduction To Tamil Nadu Cuisines And Recipes.