Recent days I have been exploring varieties of vazhaipoo recipes ( Plantain flower/Banana flower in English) in my kitchen. Most of the South Indians especially Tamil people make Vazhaipoo vadai and Vazhaipoo paruppu usili using this vegetable and it would be their favorites as well. Me too not an exception. But apart from these usual recipes, I wanted to try some interesting and unique recipes with vazhaipoo. As a result of which I have tried and posted Vazhaipoo Kuzhambu / Banana flower gravy and Vazhaipoo dosa recipes in my blog. Here comes yet another yummy, kids friendly snack with banana flower.
Yes, Its Vazhaipoo Kola urundai i.e Spicy fried plantain balls. I found this recipe in Nalini’s blog and I have tried it thrice so far. Once I made these balls for preparing Vazhaipoo kola Urundai kuzhambu ( Will post the recipe soon) for our lunch and made the same twice for my daughter’s evening teatime snack.
This vazhaipoo kola urundai is sure a welcome change from vazhaipoo vadai. It can be made instantly without soaking dals. But it tastes crispy and the best only when hot. My daughter Raksha likes to relish these balls with her favorite tomato ketchup. Friends, do try this healthy snack with banana flower for your kids when they come back from school. I am sure they will love it a lot.
Ok, Now lets check how to make Vazhaipoo kola urundai with step by step photos !
Vazhaipoo Kola Urundai recipe
Spicy fried plantain balls/ Banana flower balls – Vazhaipoo kola urundai – Instant version
Remove the florets from the banana flower and set aside. Remove the Kalan(black colored stamen) from the florets and soak the florets in water or buttermilk till use.
Pressure cook the banana flower adding little water in high flame for one whistle. Drain the excess water, squeeze it and remove from the cooker.Grind them in batches in a dry mixie jar. You should wipe the sides of jar every time for proper grinding. (I din’t cook the banana flower. I ground them directly as raw florets) Once the florets are coarsely ground, add the red chilli powder, grated coconut, fennel seeds, salt, g&g paste and big onion. Grind everything nicely to a smooth paste. Add 1 tbsp of water if necessary while grinding.
In another mixie jar, powder the fried gram dal and set aside.
Take the ground batter in a wide plate.Add the powdered fried gram dal and rice flour. Mix well without adding water. Fried gram flour and rice flour absorbs the moisture content in the banana flower mixture and becomes dry. Make small balls out of the dough and arrange it.
Heat oil in a kadai and when it gets heated ,drop a pinch of dough. If it comes up immediately, heat of the oil is perfect. Now put the balls ( 3-4 at a time) and deep fry in medium flame for few minutes. Keep turning both the sides for even cooking. Remove when the balls turn golden brown in color. Serve them hot to enjoy its best taste. serve with tomato ketchup. ( you can prepare the dough in advance, refrigerate it and make balls whenever needed)
Enjoy your teatime!
Note
Add more chilli powder based on your taste.
Check for salt & spice and adjust them while mixing the dough.
Try to grind the vazhaipoo mixture to a smooth paste without adding water. At worst case, you can add 1-2 tbsp.
If the dough is sticky and too wet, add more fried gram dal flour and little rice flour to adjust the consistency.
Try this snack with banana flower for a change and enjoy !
Hello, I'm Chitra Sendhil, the writer and photographer behind this website. I started this website as a food blog in 2009 under the name "Ratatouille - Anyone Can Cook." In 2013, after purchasing my own domain, I rebranded it to "Chitra's Food Book." I am a pure vegetarian, born in Tamil Nadu, and currently residing in Bangalore, India. To learn more about me, please visit the "About Me" page. You can find all my recipes, complete with videos and step-by-step pictures, right here on my website. Mail me to chitra.ganapathy@gmail.com for your queries and feedback.
Spicy fried plantain balls/ Banana flower balls – Vazhaipoo kola urundai – Instant version 
Perfectly done… looks lovely!!
Thank you :)
nice recipe :) I got exactly the same result .. well explained :)
Thank you :)
Hi, It becomes so bitter, is there anything else I can do to remove the bitterness now… Pls help
Hi, its the nature of flower you bought. U can try adding some lemon juice and more besan flour. Hope it works.