MOCHA-GHANTA

Ingredients

• 2 whole banana flower (Use 1 or 2 banana flowers. Choose fresh, firm ones. You will need to clean and prepare them before cooking — see Step 1.)
• 1 enough to submerge water (Used for soaking the chopped banana flower for a few hours to remove bitterness.)
• 1 enough to cover water (Fresh water used for boiling the soaked banana flower pieces.)
• 1 small splash water (A little water added during the final gentle boil with ghee and spices.)
• 1 adequate quantity salt (Add to taste. Start with about 1/2 teaspoon and adjust.)
• 1 adequate quantity cumin (Pasted or powdered. Start with about 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin.)
• 1 adequate quantity coriander (Pasted or powdered. Start with about 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander.)
• 1 a little pepper (Pasted or powdered. A small pinch — about 1/8 teaspoon.)
• 1 a little ginger (Pasted or powdered. About 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger or a small knob pasted.)
• 1 a little turmeric (About 1/4 teaspoon. Adds colour and a mild earthy note.)
• 1 a little milk (About 1 to 2 tablespoons. Adds a subtle creaminess to bind the mass.)
• 1 a little sugar (About 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon. Balances the bitterness of the banana flower.)
• 1 a little flour (About 1 teaspoon. Helps bind the mixture together.)
• 1 some browned bori (Bori are small dried lentil dumplings. Brown them by dry-roasting or frying until golden before breaking into pieces. Available in Bengali grocery stores.)
• 1 a little ghee (About 1 teaspoon. Used to season the dish. Clarified butter can be used as a substitute.)
• 3 a few leaves cassia leaves (Cassia leaves (tejpatta) are Indian bay leaves. They have a subtle clove-cinnamon fragrance. Do not substitute with standard European bay leaves.)
• 1 a little powdered garam-masalla (Added at the very end, off the heat. About 1/4 teaspoon for a gentle warmth.)

Instructions

1. 1Working with banana flowers requires patience — this is the most involved step. Peel away and discard the dark purple-red outer sepals (the large, curved, cap-like leaves wrapping the flower). As you peel back each layer, you will reveal small clusters of undeveloped bananas. For each tiny banana, remove and discard the small whitish cap at its tip and the thin, stiff, thread-like stamen inside. Once you have removed all the sepals and cleaned the individual bananas, you will be left with a solid, pale central core. Chop the cleaned bananas and this central core, discarding the very tips of the bananas and the tough central stem. When the individual parts can no longer be separated, simply chop the remaining solid white mass together.
2. 2Take the cleaned banana flower material and chop it into very fine pieces — the smaller the better for this dish. Place all the chopped pieces into a bowl and cover completely with water. Leave to soak for a few hours. This soaking step draws out the natural bitterness and astringency of the banana flower.
3. 3After soaking, drain the soaking water from the banana flower pieces and discard it. Transfer the pieces to a pot and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the banana flower is tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the cooked pieces thoroughly through a colander or sieve, pressing gently to remove as much water as possible.
4. 4Transfer the drained banana flower into a mixing bowl. Add the salt, cumin, coriander, pepper, ginger, and turmeric — all should be in pasted or powdered form. Then add a little milk, a little sugar, and a little flour. Using clean hands or a large spoon, rub and mix the entire mass very thoroughly so that the spices and binders are evenly distributed throughout.
5. 5Add the browned bori pieces into the spiced banana flower mixture. Bori are small dried lentil dumplings — to brown them, dry-roast them in a dry pan over medium heat or shallow-fry them in a little oil until golden, then break them into rough pieces. Stir them into the mixture so they are evenly incorporated.
6. 6Place a pan over medium heat and add a little ghee. Once the ghee is hot, add the cassia leaves and let them sizzle for about 30 seconds until fragrant — do not let them burn. Tip the entire banana flower mixture into the pan. Add a small splash of water. Stir everything together and reduce the heat to low. Simmer gently for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is cohesive and the liquid is mostly absorbed.
7. 7Once the liquid (soup) in the pan has reduced to a very small, scanty amount and the mixture looks thick and cooked through, remove the pan from the heat. Sprinkle a little powdered garam masala over the dish and stir it in. Taste and serve immediately. The cassia leaves are not meant to be eaten — set them aside when serving.