Mochar Ghonto

Mochar Ghonto   
"Mochar Ghonto" is a Bengali dish made from the banana flowers.

Ingredients
1 Banana Flower                                             
1 Potato cut into medium size cubes
1 Green Chilli slit
1/2 tsp Ginger paste
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Garam Masala powder
1/4 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste
2 tbsp  Grated coconut         
1 tbsp Ghee
1/4 cup Fried Moong dal Boris or fresh Moong dal bora ( soak the moong dal for 30 minutes, drain the water out, grind the moong dal with salt, nigella seeds and green chillies. Take 1/2 tsp of the paste and drop it in hot oil and the boras are ready)

Method
To clean the banana flower; Rub little cooking oil in the finger and palm to avoid the dark stains. After peeling  of the purple leaf, there are yellow coloured blossoms underneath. Separate the blossoms from the purple leaf and collect the blodsoms and discard the purple leaves. After removing the layers of purple leaves, there will be a stage where the leaves  are light yellow in colour and it can’t be peeled.
Finely chop that Conical portion and keep it in bowl of water. To clean the Blossoms, you need to clean each of them one by one.Remove the transparent casing and the stick like stigma from each flower. Boil the chopped conical portion and the flowers in salt water till tender. Discard the water and mash it. Heat ghee in a pan, add the cumin seeds and bay leaves and green chilli. Once the seeds start to splutter, add the ginger paste. Saute it for few seconds and add the potatoes; stir fry the potatoes for 2 minutes and add the  mashed banana flower. Add turmeric powder, salt, sugar and cumin powder.  Stir it and cover the pan with a lid, and  cook on a slow flame stirring it occasionally.  Cook it till all the  have incorporated well. Add the boras or boris. Cook for few minutes more. Add the grated coconut. Finally, add the garam masala mix and add 1/4 tsp ghee from top. Serve with hot rice.