Mochar Ghonto | Bengali Banana Flower Curry
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Bengali
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • Mocha / banana flower – 2
  • Potatoes – 2, cut into ½ inch cubes
  • Black chana – ¼ cup
  • Fresh coconut – ½, grated (about 1 cup freshly grated coconut)
  • Cloves – 5 to 6
  • Green cardamom – 5 to 6
  • Cinnamon stick – 1 inch piece, broken
  • Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
  • Ginger paste – 1 tsp
  • Cumin powder – 3 tsp
  • Kashmiri red chili powder – 1 tsp (Use ½ tsp if using regular chili powder)
  • Sugar – 1 tsp
  • Garam masala – 1 tsp
  • Mustard oil – 4 tbsp
  • Ghee – 2 tsp
  • Salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Soak the black chana overnight. Next day before cooking boil the chana until soft. Set them aside.
  2. Cleaning the banana flower or mocha requires some technical training which is best provided by our moms, but I will try to explain as best as I possibly can. Inside the big boat like leaves, there are bunch of flowers. From each floret, you need to discard the outer shell and the stiff stick-like strand with a tiny bulb at the top as they are not edible. Once you discard those inedible parts, immerse the rest florets in cold water while you continue cleaning the remaining bunches. This will avoid the blackening of the florets. [See Notes below.]
  3. Once all the bunches are cleaned, wash them thoroughly and finely chop them. It is advised to smear some oil on your palms while you chop the florets to avoid the sticky after-effect.
  4. Pressure cook the chopped banana flowers until 3 whistles blow. Let the pressure cooker cool down and release all the pressure. Then drain the cooked banana florets and set aside on a colander to let the excess water drip off.
  5. Heat 1 tablespoon of mustard oil in a kadhai/wok. Add the potato cubes to the hot oil and fry them until golden brown on all sides – about 10 minutes on medium-low flame. Take them out and set aside.
  6. Add half a tablespoon of mustard oil to the kadhai and add the cooked chana to it. Sauté them quickly for couple of minutes, then take them out and set aside.
  7. Add another half a tablespoon of mustard oil to the kadhai and add the grated coconut to it. Sauté them on low until they turn light golden and all the moisture is absorbed – about 10 minutes. Then take them out and set aside.
  8. Add the remaining oil to the wok. Once the oil is hot, temper it with cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon sticks and cumin seeds. Sauté them for a minute until they become fragrant.
  9. Make a smooth spice paste by adding ginger paste, turmeric powder, cumin powder, red chili powder and sugar to a small bowl and mixing them with ¼ cup of water. Whisk it thoroughly to avoid any lumps.
  10. Once the whole spices start to crackle, add the spice paste to the kadhai. Sauté the spice paste on medium flame until the oil starts to release – about 5 to 7 minutes.
  11. Next add the fried chana, cooked banana florets and fried potato cubes. Stir them well to combine and sauté on medium-low flame until the cooked banana florets are all well-coated with the spice mix. If the veggies/spices start to stick to the bottom of the kadhai, add about ½ cup of water and stir well.
  12. Next add the sautéed coconut and stir them in thoroughly. Season it with salt to taste. Cook them on medium-low until all the water dries up.
  13. Finally drizzle the ghee and sprinkle garam masala. Mix well. Serve the hot mochar ghonto with phulka or rice. Enjoy!
Notes
Do check this link from VEGAN MIAM for detail explanation on how to clean a banana flower with outstanding photos!
Recipe by Everyday Indian Recipes at http://everydayindianrecipes.flavorquotient.com/mochar-ghonto-bengali-banana-flower-curry/