Banana Stem Rasam Recipe | Vazhaithandu Rasam | How to Serve Rasam as an Appetiser | Masterchefmom

 

Hi Supermoms,

Today I am sharing a rasam recipe that includes a great vegetable that has a lot of health benefits. It is the ‘Vazhaithandu’ or the Banana/Plantain Stem Rasam. Banana Stem is extremely good for kidney cleansing and is good for the digestive system as well. You can read more about the health benefits of Banana Stem and how to clean it here. 

The biggest challenge I face is to get my children enjoy this vegetable. This rasam does the trick for me every time. They will not find out that the rasam is made out of Banana Stem as it is super tasty and is also easy for them to enjoy it along with rice or as an appetiser. 

You can clean the banana stem a day earlier and soak it in buttermilk . You can then keep it refrigerated till use. The banana stem keeps good this way even for 2-3 days. 

Now, let me share the recipe.

You can watch the stepwise recipe below 👇

Banana Stem Rasam By Masterchefmom

Preparation time : 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

2 cups banana stem ( cleaned and chopped)

For the Rasam Masala:

2 tomatoes

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

1 teaspoon toor dal/pigeon peas

1 teaspoon peppercorns

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon carom seeds/ajwain

1 dry red chilli (adjust)

1/2” ginger

1 large garlic clove

Curry leaves

Gooseberry size tamarind ( or 1 tsp thick tamarind pulp)

Other ingredients:

1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon jaggery powder

Salt to taste

For tempering:

2 teaspoons ghee

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

Pinch of asafoetida

Method :

1. Soak all the ingredients given under for the 'rasam masala' in a cup of hot water for 15 minutes.

2. While the ingredients are soaking, clean the banana stem, grind it to a paste and extract the juice of the stem using a colander. 

Chef tip: Add 1/2-1 cup water and extract all the juice. 

3.Place the extracted juice over low flame, add turmeric powder, salt and let it boil over low flame for 10 minutes.

4. Grind the rasam masala along with water .

5. Add the ground masala to the banana stem juice that is boiling on low flame. 

6. Allow this rasam mixture to cook over low flame for 20-25 minutes.

7. Add jaggery powder and adjust water quantity.

8. Once the rasam comes to soft boil ( starts to froth on the sides of the vessel), switch off.

9. Heat a ladle with ghee and temper with mustard seeds and once the seeds splutter, add asafoetida and pour the tempering into the rasam.

10. Mix and cover till you serve it. 

Chef tip: This preserves all the flavours . 

You can serve this rasam as an appetiser or can serve it along with hot rice and ghee. Tastes so heavenly. 

Do try and share your feedback with me.

Happy Cooking!

With love,

Masterchefmom

P.S: Have you tried the Banana Stem Poriyal?