"Banana Stem".. As i had mentioned, its the tender portion of the Banana plant's bark!
I have never quiet found this portion of the vegetable sold in the market. I understand that this stem is very nutritious and high on fibre. It is also believed that eating this vegetable is good to clear the intestinal path! :) I know it sounds weird.. But ya.. my mom, aunts..and their generation constantly narrate the goodness of this vegetable. I would not wanna lock horns on this topic for sure! :P
Anyways, getting to the preparation of this dish..
Firstly wash the stem and cut it into circular disks as shown.. and leave it in a bowl of water for a couple of hours. This is done so that the thread like fibre can easily detach itself from the vegetable.. If not, try scrapping the surface with ur finger and as if to knot threads.. pull the fibre..
Once you have removed this thread like substance from the surface of each disk..wash and cut into small square cubes.
Now we are all set to cook it.. :P
I have never quiet found this portion of the vegetable sold in the market. I understand that this stem is very nutritious and high on fibre. It is also believed that eating this vegetable is good to clear the intestinal path! :) I know it sounds weird.. But ya.. my mom, aunts..and their generation constantly narrate the goodness of this vegetable. I would not wanna lock horns on this topic for sure! :P
Anyways, getting to the preparation of this dish..
Firstly wash the stem and cut it into circular disks as shown.. and leave it in a bowl of water for a couple of hours. This is done so that the thread like fibre can easily detach itself from the vegetable.. If not, try scrapping the surface with ur finger and as if to knot threads.. pull the fibre..
Once you have removed this thread like substance from the surface of each disk..wash and cut into small square cubes.
Now we are all set to cook it.. :P
Ingredients:
- Banana stem cubes (Gabbo in Konkani)
- Turmeric pwdr - 1 tsp
- Salt - to taste
- Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
- Dry Red chillies - 3
- Curry leaves
- Besan (chickpea flour) - 2 tsp dissolved water
- Curd - 2 cups
- Oil - 1 Tbsp
Preparation:
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Prepare for seasoning. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. Let them split. Only after the mustard seeds split, should you add the dry red chillies (broken into halves) and followed by curry leaves.
- Later add the banana stem/gabbo pcs into the pan with seasoning. Stir and leave it for 5 minutes..
- Now, add the turmeric powder and mix the well. Add the salt as well. Stir and leave it to cook.
- When the stem appears to look like its softened, then add the bowl of curd. In order to make sure that the curd does not split... add the besan-water mix. and Stir it well and leave it to cook.
- Add a glass of water in case the mixture appears too thick. Check if the salt is enough..
- Leave the dish to cook... You'll get a distinct aroma of the seasoning! (The dish ideally will take 20-25 minutes to cook on slow flame.)
