This mouthwatering fritter made from banana blossoms (vazhaipoo) and lentils never fails to please people of all ages. The vadai’s crunchy exterior and soft interior makes it an addictive dish.
Soak toor dhal, channa dhal and rice 
Grind the soaked dhal with spices 
Remove the pistil and calyx from the florets 
Finely chop the florets and onion 
Mix grinded dhal with the chopped onions and florets 
Make even-sized round balls 
Flatten the balls and fry in oil 
Vazhaipoo Vadai
This mouthwatering fritter made from banana flowers and lentils never fails to please people of all ages. It's crunchy exterior and soft interior makes it an addictive dish.
Servings: 20 pieces
Ingredients
- 1 cup toor dhal
- 2 tbsp channa dhal
- 2 tbsp rice
- 1 cup chopped vazhaipoo (about 1 medium sized flower)
- ½ cup chopped red onion
- ¼ tsp asafoetida (also known as hing or perungayam)
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 5 dry red chilies (adjust to taste)
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 10 curry leaves
- salt to taste
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Wash and soak toor dhal, channa dhal and rice in a mixing bowl for at least 30 mins but not more than 2 hours.
- Coarsely grind the soaked ingredients with dry red chilies, fennel seeds and cumin seeds. Transfer to a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Remove the pistil and calyx from the banana florets and chop finely. To prevent them from darkening, add florets to a bowl of water with a tablespoon of buttermilk or yogurt.
- Add finely chopped onion, chopped curry leaves, turmeric powder, asafoetida and salt to the grinded dhal mixture.
- Strain chopped banana florets and add to the mixture.
- Mix all ingredients and make even sized balls.
- Heat oil in a frying pan. When hot, make flat discs with the balls and carefully drop in oil.
- Fry until golden brown and carefully turn the vadai over, letting the other side turn golden brown as well.
- Fry few vadai at a time and serve hot.
