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| Mocha r Paturi ( Banana flower wrapped and cooked in banana leaf) |
Mocha (banana flower) is a very favorite dish of ours. I am not exception although cooking mocha takes patience. One needs to peel each layer of the flower and bring out the stem (which almost looks like small banana actually). Then you will have to take each stem in hand and bring out the central pith. This whole process in very time consuming and I usually do it a night before cooking while watching TV. However, once you have done this, the cooking itself is very easy and taken very little time.
This recipe is my mothers. She just decided to cook the mocha like that, just the way she keeps cooking various things like chicken Paturi, dim Paturi, dal diye chicken Paturi, chicken mocha etc etc. Trust me, she does not have access to net nor does she read cooking book. Moreover, she does not eat out side expect for that one time in year when we are home and take her out. She is my regular bong ma who invents cooking on a regular basis. Then I get very surprised eating those dishes outside in places like Aheli in kolkata and think how incredibly innovative my ma is.
I am cooking this dish today for my friend Shikha as she complaint that I never do anything vegetarian. I wanted to do something for her. Therefore, I decided to cook my mocha r Paturi vegetarian. You can add chicken, fish, prawn, or even panir in the dish if you like, the taste will be same if not better
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| Banana Flower aka mocha |
Ingredients:
1- Large Mocha (Banana Flower)
1- Medium potato, cut into small pieces
½-cup grated coconut
1 ½ -tablespoon black mustard
1-teaspoon turmeric
1-green chili
2-tablespoon mastered oil
1-big banana leaf or aluminium foil ( I used foil this time as I could not get hold of banana leaf)
Salt to taste
Method:
1. Peel each layer of the flower and bring out the stem (which almost looks like small banana actually). Then you will have to take each stem and tear out the central pith. Throw the central pith ( it is hard and you will not be able to cook it)
2. Cut the stems ( without the central pith) in to small pieces almost like mince
3. Add salt and turmeric and boil for while or until soft and cooked
4. Discard the boiled water and keep aside the minced mocha
5. Fry the potato with little turmeric and salt
6. Grind the coconut, black mustard seed, green chili and make a paste
7. Add little salt immediately otherwise the paste might turn bitter
8. Combine the above paste, salt if you need more, turmeric, mustered oil, potatoes, boiled mocha together very well using your hands to mix them really well
9. In case you are using banana leaf, hold the banana leaf over gas flame so that you can easily fold it. otherwise it will not fold properly
10. Put the mocha mix in the flamed banana leaf and wrap it well
11. Then grill it on a tawa for 10/15 mins, keep turning until both side of the banana leaf is brown
12. If you are using aluminium foil, just wrap the mocha mix in foil, put them on a hot tawa and grill it like you will do for banana leaf. The taste does not differ much but the smell of the banana leaf will be missing
13. It should not take more than 25/30 mins
14. Sprinkle little mustard oil and grated coconut over the mocha r Paturi before serving with hot rice
