Mocha'r Chop (Banana Flower Chop)

 

Banana, a fruit enjoyed all over the world. The banana flower is consumed as a vegetable, in soups and salads and fried as a snack. It is very simple to clean the flower and prepare it for cooking.
The portion of the white and orange tips that you see in the above photograph require to be opened.
Inside is a plastic like petal which has to be removed and a tough stalk with a black head should also be removed. The maroon petals have also to be discarded. Now chop the vegetable fine and immerse it in water to which turmeric or curd is added. This prevents the vegetable from turning black. Soak in water for 6 hrs and then boil in a litre of water for 10 mins. Drain the water, your vegetable is ready to be cooked the way you desire.

In Maharashtra it is called Kelphool and in Bengal it is called Mocha.
In Bengal one of the famous snacks is Chop. Chops can be made with meat, fish or vegetable. This chop with the banana flower is famous, tasty and enjoyed as a delicacy.

Today I give you my version of the famous "Mochar Chop"

Ingredients:

• 1 banana flower clean the way as explained above.
• 1 onion
• 1 tbs chopped cashew nuts.
• 1tbs kismis.
• 1/2 tsp chopped green chillies, more if you like it spicy.
• 1 tsp red chilli powder.
• 2 tsp worcestershire sauce. 
• 1tsp sugar.
• 1tbs chopped coriander leaves.
• 1tbs lime juice.
• 1tsp garam masala or bhaja masala as they call it in Bengal.
• 4 boiled and mashed potatoes.
• 2 tbs cornflour.
• 1 tsp haldi.
• salt to taste.
• 1 tbs oil plus oil to deep fry.

Method :

• Heat 1tbs oil, when hot add finely chopped onion, to this add the chopped vegetable, stir, add all the masalas, salt, sugar and lime juice, cook for 5mins 
• Remove from fire and cool.

Outer coating:

• Mash the potatoes, add salt, haldi and a pinch of red chilli powder and the cornflour. Knead into a smooth dough.
• Make small balls of dough like you make for pattice, shape into a cup and fill it with the stuffing, close and form into a pattice.
• After all the pattice are prepared roll them into dry in 1 tbs maida and 4 tbs suji (rawa) and then deep fry.

Enjoy with sauce, sliced onion salad or with Kasundi  (mustard sauce) as the Bongs do.

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