Detoxifying Plantain stem and pomegranate juice:

Raw vegetable and fruit juices are helpful in the rejuvenation of all the organs of our body. These juices are beneficial in restoring health effectively. If one can include this juice in the early morning in your diet after working out or walking with an empty stomach, it helps to remove the toxins from our body.

You don’t need a high-end juicer or any exotic veggies/leaves to whip up these super healthy drinks. All you need is locally grown vegetables and a simple mixer grinder or blender.

 

Now we will see how I do this:

Ingredient:

Chopped plantain/banana stem – ½ cup

Pomegranate seeds – ¼ cup

Ginger powder – ½ tsp.

Water – 1 cup

Salt – ¼ tsp.

Basil or Pudina leaves–for garnishing (Optional)

Method:

-Remove the outer cover of the plantain/banana stem, cut 6 to 7 thin slices and chop.

-blend chopped plantain stem, pomegranate, water, ginger powder, and salt. If needed, add any form of sugar and grind nicely.

-Sieve this mixture and collect the juice, garnish with chopped basil leaves. Enjoy your nutrition-rich, power-packed juice is ready to kick start your day.

Plantain stem dosa / Bale dandina dosey:

Every part of the banana plant has its own benefits to our health. Banana stem is one such thing, which is high in fibre and filled with nutritious water. It is very good for Human gut as well as kidney.

The juice of the banana stem helps in flushing out of toxins as well as to prevent kidney stone formation as well. Overall it acts as a healing food for human body. In coastal Karnataka, we do use plantain stem or flower in various recipes. Today I am going to share our traditional Dosa recipe and previously I have shared Raw salad as well as Rasam recipe.

Plantain stem dosa turns out porous, soft as well as crispy and goes very well with any side dish of your choice.

Ingredients:

Dosa rice – 2 cups

Urad dal – ¼ cup

Methi seeds – 1 tablespoon

Banana/ plantain stem – 2 cups

Salt

Method:

-Wash , soak dosa rice, urad dal, methi in water for 2 to 3 hours.

-Chop Banana stem as I have shown in the picture below.

-Grind soaked rice and chopped plantain stem pieces by adding sufficient salt into smooth paste.

-Ferment overnight or 8 – 10 hours. Next day prepare Dosa .

-If you like crisp roasted one, spread as thin as possible on heated iron griddle.

-Serve with coconut chutney or any other curry.

 

Banana/Plantain Stem Salad:

Traditionally we have used banana stem from ages and it is a super-rich vegetable and neglected by many. Our ancestors were very intelligent and included all the available nutritive vegetables from their surroundings. In our native, usually most of the people rely on agriculture for a livelihood and include all parts of banana plant in day to day cooking. When a bunch of bananas is harvested, the banana tree is cut away. Which is 80% water and 20% fibre.

Eating banana stem is very good for health as well as the kidney. It’s high fibre nature is known for its cleansing property of the digestive system. So, it is very good for diabetic or kidney stone patients.

It has layers of covers which should be peeled off and foot long pieces are made by retaining only a couple of outer layers as a protective layer for this vegetable and they are stored and kept aside for future use.

According to the requirement, before chopping this veggie, chop off required length of the stem, remove outer remaining sheath, until you find the very soft inner core.

Now comes the chopping part. Make thin slices, while slicing you will see the thread like fibre, which sticks to the knife and sometimes it will stick to the slices itself. If you find any thread like fibre either in sliced pieces or knife, remove it by hand.

After slicing the roundels, stack 5 to 6 roundels one over the other and chop as desired. I usually make square small pieces for this salad.

pic main

Ingredients:

Plantain stem – 10-inch long.

green chillies – 2 (if available use bird eye chillies)

Fresh Coconut – 2 table spoons

Salt

Lemon – ½

Coriander leaves – 1 table spoon (chopped)

Coconut Oil – 2 tsp

Mustard – 1 tsp

Hing – 1 pinch

Curry leaves – 1 spring

Method:

  Chop banana stem as described in description.

  Now, remove the remaining outer cover.

collage 1

  Slice inner pith into roundels by removing thread like fibre.

  Stack all the roundels and chop as needed. I prefer small square pieces.

collage 2

  Sprinkle salt and lemon juice and mix it thoroughly.

  Chop chillies.

  Do seasoning, heat oil, splutter mustard, add chopped chillies, hing and curry leaves.

  Add this seasoning over salad.

  Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and grated coconut.

  Goes very well with hot rice or curd rice.