Psuedo Banana Blossom Curry (Mochar Ghonto)
Banana Blossom is known as ‘Mocha’ in Bengali. It is the flower of the banana tree. Banana flower is an exotic vegetable that is relished in many forms like Banana Blossom Curry also called ‘Mochar Ghonto’, or in the form of vegetarian cutlets or chops and so on. Every year when I visit Kolkata, ‘Mochar Ghonto’ and ‘Mochar Chops” are must-have dishes on my list.
These days I do see Banana Blossom in many Asian grocery stores, but cutting this flower is tedious, time-consuming and needs some expertise which I lack. So I found an alternative to this vegetable, which is ‘Enoki Mushrooms’. Even though it is not an exact substitute but I think it is quite close.
Enoki Mushrooms 
Mochar Ghonto with Enoki Mushrooms
Here is my version of the famous Bengali style Banana Blossom Curry with Enoki Mushrooms. The Garam Masala used here is not the usual garam masala found in the store but the Bengali Garam Masala. You can find the details below.
To enhance the flavor add the Garam Masala and Ghee (Clarified Butter) at the end of the cooking to retain its flavor.
Serves 4-6
10 minPrep Time
25 minCook Time
35 minTotal Time
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Ingredients
- 2 Packs of 200 gms Enoki Mushrooms
- 1/2 Cups of Potatoes Cut in small cubes
- 1/4 Cup of soaked Black Chana (Chickpeas brown)
- 1 tsp Ginger Paste
- 1/8 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1/4 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1/4 tsp Cumin Powder
- 1/4 tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 1 tsp Salt (as per taste)
- 1/2 tsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Grated Coconut
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 Whole Red Chili
- 1/2 tsp Whole Cumin Seed
- 1 tsp Clarified Butter (Ghee)
- 1/4 tsp Garam Masala
Instructions
- Add oil in the frying pan and wait till it is hot
- Add Bayleaf, whole red chili, whole cumin seeds, wait till the aroma comes out, fry for 2 minutes
- Add the cubes Potatoes, season with salt and turmeric and fry
- Add black chana and 1 tbsp of water, cover and cook in low heat around 5 minutes
- While chana and potatoes are cooking, soak all powdered masala in 2 tbsp of hot water
- When the Potatoes, and chana half cooked, add the mushrooms
- fry well, and soaked masalas and mix well.
- Cover and sim, and let it cook for 10 minutes. Mix in between.
- Add sugar and coconut and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Just before turning the burner off add Ghee and garam masala and cover.
- Let it sit for few minutes, mix and dish out.
- Enjoy warm with rice or roti.
Notes
You can find the Garam Masala recipe in this site. The taste will widely vary with the use of this.
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