Vazhaithandu Thogayal/thuvayal, south-indian style chutney made with banana stump and lentils. A healthy and delicious condiment to serve with rice.
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South-Indian lunch thali is incomplete without chutney/thogayal. I make a lot of chutney with veggies like Beets , Amla & Carrot and Amla & coconut and also with greens like fenugreek , brahmi leaves and tulsi and now this banana stump chutney is another addition to that healthy list.
Chutney vs Thogayal
Thogayal or thuvayal is a condiment made with lentils and spices. Whereas Chutneys made to pair with idly/dosa not necessarily include lentils.
As a south-indian we love our Thogayal/thuvayal. Growing up in my parents home, our saturday menu used to be thogayal/thuvayal and rasam. Coconut thogayal with jeera rasam is a delicious combination.
The main ingredients in a south-indian style chutney are urad and chana dal along with tamarind. I usually add coriander seeds and sesame seeds to my chutneys as they add a great texture and also for their numerous health benefits.
The Ingredients
- Banana stump, the stump part of a banana tree, you will find them in Indian supermarkets.
- Spices, i have used black peppercorns and red chilies to spice the chutney. Peppercorns are optional, one can omit them.
- Coconut, freshly grated or frozen, do not skip coconut, they add flavor and also binds other flavors together.
- Dal, i have used chana dal and urad dal, they add volume to the chutney
- Sesame seeds and coriander seeds, as said earlier, they add a nice texture to the thogayal.
How to make Vazhaithandu thogayal
Chop and keep vazhaithandu ready. Heat a pan with oil add the dals, saute for a minute or two and then add pepper corns, sesame and corinader seeds.
Once the dal turns golden brown, throw in the red chilies, curry leaves and coriander and the chopped banana stump. I left the banana stump outside for too long, so mine turned black. Keep the chopped stump immersed in vinegar water/buttermilk water.
After adding vazhaithandu/banana stump, saute for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle water twice, cover the pan and switch off the stove. Let this sit until the ingredients cools down. No need to cook the banana stump until soft.
Once it is cool enough, take it all in the mixer jar, add tamarind and salt and grind it to a paste. I added 2-3 tbsp of water for grinding.
Banana stump is known for its numerous health benefits particularly good in fibre. Many drink banana stump juice with little yogurt or buttermilk to get the benefits of the good fibre. Here is a morekuzhambu recipe with vazhaithandu, to enjoy this delicious vegetable.
Vazhaithandu Thogayal/thuvayal | Banana stump chutney
Equipment
- Indian style mixie
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp urad dal split black gram dal
- 1 tbsp chana dal gram dal
- 5 nos red chilies adjust according to spice level
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- ½ tsp black peppercorns optional
- 1&½ cups banana stump, chopped
- ¼ cup grated coconut fresh or frozen
- a small ball of tamarind a size of a small marble
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp oil
- ⅛ tsp hing/asafoetida
- a sprig of curry leaf
- handful of coriander leaves
Instructions
- Heat a kadai/pan, dry roast urad dal, chana dal, white sesame seeds, black peppercorns, and coriander seeds, until the dal turn golden brown. Take care not to burn them, keep the flame simmer.
- When the dal turns golden brown, add chopped banana stump and coconut to this and saute for 2 minutes. Sprinkle water twice, cover the pan and turn off the stove. Let this cool down.
- Once the ingredients cools down, take it in a mixer jar, add tamarind and salt to this and grind it to a paste. I added 2-3 tbsp of water while grinding.
- Once ground, remove it to a serving bowl. Serve it along steaming hot rice for a comfort meal.
Video
Serve this healthy and delicious vazhaithandu thogayal/thuvayal with steaming hot rice and a generous drizzle of gingely oil.
I served it with paruppu rasam, beans coconut curry and rice.
If you have tried this recipe and like it, give it a star rating or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #icampinmmykitchen and tagging me @priyasrinivasan.
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An old post from 2009, updated with new content and pictures for better engagement
My all time favourite is vaazhai thandu. I mostly eat it raw in thayir or make kari with it. When in india i shall try this thogaiyal. Here the banans are different, neither the stump or the flower tastes good.
all the chutneys r delicious, especially th vazhathandu chutney is very innovative and yummy
Awesome south Indian chutney!!! Thanks for sharing online…
The banana stump chutney looks so delicious. I love to try outdifferent varieties of chutneys. Will make it sometime soon.
I am awed by the different chutney and thogayal varieties of the South Indian Cuisine. This banana stump chutney sounds absolutely flavorful and nutritious. I would definitely love giving it a try.
And to think I threw out the banana plant. I mean I knew you can use the stump but did not think of checking with you first. Vazhaithandu thuvayal sounds absolutely delicious and of course healthy plus zero waste. Love it Priya.
The banana stump chutney looks amazing and so delicious. I am always looking for new chutney ideas and this is one I have never tried before so I will definitely give it ago.
I love banana stem chutney! this looks so flavorful and delicious. I love all the spices that you used here.
That’s one interesting thogayal Priya. I would have never thought of using banana stump to prepare a condiment. Booking your Vazhaithandu Thogayal recipe when I’m able to source banana stump.
I absolutely love vazhai thandu and one of the vegetables that I terribly miss here. I am not sure I have ever eaten thogayal made with vazhai thandu. I will share this recipe with appa so he can make some.
The banana stump and lentils chutney looks so good. I always look for different varieties of chutneys.
Will have to make it sometime soon.
We have started gettign this thandu often at home now. Next time will make the thogayal instead of the thandu kootu / poriyal .