Mochar Chanokanno (Fragrant Rice in Banana Blossom)

When I came across this recipe in Renuka Debi Chaudhurani’s asset of the compilation of recipes, I was pleasantly stunned. At our house, we have always had banana florets (mocha) with shrimps, or with lentil dumplings (daal er bora), or grated coconut and chickpeas. All of them are delicacies. But this surpasses them all and takes the pride of place. The way the fragrance of the gobindobhog rice blends in with the cumin- ginger flavours of the curry is unbelievable. The raisins act as a wonderful balancing sweetener. Meant to be a side dish, when I had it after cooking this delicacy, I discovered that this in itself can be a main dish. You could indeed serve it in the petals covering the florets like I did, keep a petal boat by the side, and this can be the centrepiece of the table too!

Recipe Ingredients:

Mocha – 1 Medium Chopped
Gobindobhog Rice – 100 gms
Cumin Seeds – 2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder – 2 tbsp
Kashmiri Mirch Powder – 3.5 tbsp
Fennel/Mouri – 3 tbsp
Cumin Powder – 2 tbsp
Garam Masala – 2 tbsp
Bay Leaf – 2-3
Dried Red Chili – 2
Ginger Chopped – 1tbsp
Ginger Paste – 1tbsp
Raisins a handful
Salt to taste
Sugar – 2 tbsp
Ghee – 2 tbsp
Mustard Oil – 5 tbsp