How to clean Banana Blossoms (Vazhai poo)

Banana blossoms are the flowers from the plaintain or banana tree. The one we get here in India, is the maroonish coloured flower. It consists of large maroon petal like encasing with long creamish or yellowish flowerettes. These long flowerettes are the edible part. The juice from the blossoms can stain the clothes and hence one needs to be careful while dealing with these blossoms.

1. Peel the maroon petals away and pick the long flowerettes.
2. Gently peel the layers of the flowertte to reveal the long strand with a slightly bulbous head and a thin plastic like sheet. Remove that bulbous strand and the thin plastic membrane like thing. They are not used for cooking.
3. If you want to prevent discolouration of the floweretts, soak them in water mixed with vinegar. They turn brown if left in the open for sometime.

4. The banana blossoms are now ready to use.

Cinnamon rolls and Nutella rolls (Tangzhong method)

 I had some leftover Tangzhong from the previous milk bread preparation. I decided to make fillings this time. We are not particularly fond of the sweet coconut filling (Dilkhush or Dilpasand). So I made large Nutella rolls and small cinnamon rolls.

Some variation to the proportions mentioned in the milk-break recipe.

Ingredients

350gm/ 2½ cups bread flour (I used Maida) 

1/2 cup of whole wheat flour (this is a variation) 

55gm/3tbsp+2tsp caster sugar 

5gm/1tsp salt 

56gm egg (equals to 1 large egg) ( If you want eggless, increase amount of milk or add a cooked potato)  7gm/1tbsp+1tsp milk powder (to increase fragrance, optional) 

1 cup milk (increased the quantity of milk) 

100 gm of Tangzhong (refer to milk bread recipe) 

5 to 6gm/2 tsp instant yeast 

30gm/3tbsp butter (cut into small pieces, softened at room temperature)

Method of making dough: refer to the milk bread recipe.
Method to shape the dough:
After the first rise, gently deflate the dough and divide into two equal halves. 
For the Nutella rolls:
Take one portion and divide into 4 equal halves and make balls. Let the balls rest for 15 minutes. 
Roll each ball into an oval approximately half an inch think. Smear a table spoon of nutella evenly on the oval. Rolls it starting at the wider of the shorter sides. Place in a prepared loaf pan.
For the Cinnamon rolls:
Ingredients:
4 tbsp - cinnamon sugar - refer to cinnamon toast
2 tbsp - butter 
Cut the butter into cinnamon sugar and make a smooth paste.

Let the second portion rest as such for 15 minutes. Roll the ball into a large oval approximately 1/2 inch thick. Smear the cinnamon sugar paste onto the oval shaped dough. Roll the dough starting form the longer sides of the oval. Make long log. Cut the log into 8 equal sized rolls and place them on the a prepared 8" square pan.

Allow for a second rise. 

Bake each tray for 30 minutes at 180 degrees C.

When one is baking, keep the other tray in the refrigerator.

Verdict: 
You can also try to allow the second rise to happen in the refrigerator. Keep it in the refrigerator overnight for the second rise and bake the rolls fresh in the morning. Awesome soft and spongy flavoured rolls for yummy breakfast!

Cauliflower Potato Curry

Cruciferous vegetables are widely considered healthy foods and are believed to have components with potential anti-cancer properties. This is one of our favourites at home other than cabbage. We rarely get broccoli in India. I do want to buy brocolli sometime for soup. Lets see how that goes.

A larege variety of dishes are possible with cauliflower, and a significant number of curry varieties suitable for  roti. This is one such vegetable.

Ingredients:
Cauliflower - flowerettes from 1/2 a flower, cleaned (See Note)
Potato - 2 medium, diced
Onion - 1 large, chopped thin and long
Tomato - 1 medium, sliced thin
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Green chilli - 1
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Salt - to taste
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Amti masala - 1/2 tsp

Tempering:
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1/2 tbsp

Method:
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed vessel. Add the cumin seeds and when they splutter, add the cleaned cauliflower (see Note) and chopped onions. Add a pinch of asafoetida and turmeric powder and fry until the raw smell is gone. Slit a green chilli and add it  while the onions and cauliflower fry. Add the chopped tomatoes at this stage and keep frying. Add amti masala, chilli powder, salt, ginger and garlic paste and continue frying. Add the potatoes at this stage and fry for a minute. Transfer the contents to a cooker. Add a little water and cook until soft (I usually give 1 whistle if the cauliflower is fresh and 2 if it has aged a bit in the fridge). Once the cooker has cooled down, check the consistency of the gravy. If it needs thickening, use any of the methods in the post on "How to thicken gravy". Garnish with Coriander leaves and serve hot with roti or rice.

Note: Cauliflower has to be cleaned very carefully. Wash and clean the flowerettes under running water. Drain the water and keep aside. In a sauce pan heat 2-3 cups of water with a lemon peel or 1 tsp lemon juice and 1/2 tsp of salt, until lukewarm. Add the flowerettes to the water and let it stay for 5-10 minutes. Drain the water and wash them one more time under running water. Drain the water from the flowerettes and now the flowerttes are ready to use.

Verdict: Fry the cauliflower until the raw smell goes. Some people find it difficult to take cruciferous vegetables due to some PTC related compounds in the veggies, that they can taste and find pungent. Frying the cauliflower lowers the concentration of such compounds.