Mocha ghonto | Mochar ghonto | Mocha recipe Bengali | Banana flower curry

Mocha ghonto aka mochar ghonto is a classic delight which is crazily popular among Bengalis. It is a pure Bengali delicacy and one of the most beloved vegetarian traditional Bengali food. Any reputed Bengali restaurant’s menu card is incomplete without it. It is a niramish recipe, I mean without onion garlic recipe, which is ideal for any vegetarian day or puja day, especially during holy Durga puja festival. In this preparation, boiled banana flowers aka mocha is cooked in some specific spices with some grated coconut and potato chunks. This flavoured dry curry is mostly accompanied with plain rice.

The word ‘Mocha’ is known as a popular variation of coffee beverage, a chocolate flavoured variant of coffee. But in Bengali, the term ‘Mocha’ is not at all connected to either coffee or with any dessert. For any Bengali, mocha is like an exemplary vegetable which is used to prepare different types of curries, stir fry, appetizer, snacks items etc. It is frequently appeared in the meal of any special occasion like Durga puja, annaprasan, marriages, noboborsho etc.

About the recipe
Health Benefits of Banana flower
Tips and Suggestions
How to make Mocha Ghonto (step wise photos)
Recipe Card

‘Mocha’ is the Bengali name of ‘banana flower’ which is also known as plantain flower, banana blossom and banana heart. All the parts of the banana flower are not edible. The purple petals of banana flower are the nonedible part which are discarded.

Other than Bengal, banana flower aka plantain flower is widely used in the subcontinents of Indian and south-east Asian culinary. It is known by different names in different parts like kela phool in hindi, vazhaipoo in tamil, arati poovu in telegu, bale huvina in kannada. Other than these, it is known as kesel muwa in Sri Lanka.

Though banana flower aka mocha is extensively used in different culture and culinary, but the nostalgia and sentiments that elongates among Bengalis for the blossoms are completely unmatchable. Mocha has been undoubtedly an iconic part of Bengali culture and culinary since ages.

Mocha ghonto aka mochar ghonto recipe is a signature dish and it can be prepared in both ways, vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Few popular non-vegetarian versions of mocha ghonto recipes are chingri mach diye mocha ghonto, macher matha diye mocha ghonto, choto mach diye mocha ghonto etc.

But today, I am going to share the vegetarian version of mochar ghonto recipe with you. Though everyone has their own version of mocha ghonto but the primary preparation of the recipe is almost same which has not got changed since ages. Few basic things like amount of spice used, cooking time, addition of external elements like coconut or black peas etc. may vary in different houses.

Bengalis are scrupulous about vegetarian food and they split it into two different parts. One division is called satvik food where onion, garlic and even masoor dal are prohibited. In another division, normal vegetarian dishes are prepared using onion and garlic. Onion and garlic are considered as rajasik food which produces heat in our body and inflame our passion, incomprehension.

Mochar ghonto is a pure vegetarian aka no onion no garlic recipe which is perfect for any puja days or vegetarian days. In fact, in many Bengali families, they consider one day of the week as vegetarian day and for them mocha ghonto is one of the most anticipating niramish recipes for those days. This classic banana flower curry is considered as a must try Bengali veg recipe during holy Durga puja festival.

Whenever I talk about mocha ghonto, it always makes me feel nostalgic. As a bong, I have grown up eating this delicacy and till now never get bored with it. I still remember how my mother used to prepare this niramish mochar ghonto on vegetarian days and puja days. She used to serve it as a side with hot rice and we used to devour that with enormous pleasure. I have learned the traditional Bengali recipes from her.

Other than vegetarian and non-vegetarian version of mocha ghonto recipe, this purple banana heart is used to prepare many other Bengali recipes. Mochar paturi, mochar chop, mochar cutlet are few hugely popular mocha recipe Bengali. I will definitely share these recipes too with you very soon. Just stay tuned.

For preparing perfect mocha ghonto, it requires patience, assiduity and of course skilful hand with knife skill. According to me, the difficulty level of preparing the dish is above moderate and is not recommended to novice or beginner. The toughest part of the recipe is to cut and clean the banana flowers. If you cross this stage, then rest of the part of the recipe simple and easy. It requires very limited ingredients which are easily available in any Bengali kitchen pantry. It is a pure Bengali delicacy, and you will get the essence of Bengal in it. The best part of the recipe is that you don’t need to drop your tears for slicing onions. It could be a great option for no onion no garlic days.

Mochar ghonto with step by step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instruction’ section of the recipe. I have included all the tips and tricks below with all the details to make recipe easier for you. But before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share few interesting facts about the recipe and primary ingredient for the recipe – mocha aka banana flower.

• Banana flower is super rich source of iron and fibre which is good for diabetic patients and helps to reduce the blood sugar level.
• It is a good source of magnesium which helps to bring down the stress level.
• It is a great source of antioxidants which resists the free radicals to damage healthy cells.
• Its fibre rich content is good for our digestive system.
• The iron rich content can increase the level of haemoglobin in body and helps to fight against anaemia.
• According to Ayurveda, banana flowers can boost the lactation of nourishing mother.
• It is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, A, E, potassium etc.

Cleaning and cutting banana flower aka mocha is a time-consuming job. So, it is advisable to do this job one day before preparing mocha ghonto.

Take a bowl of water and squeeze the juice of one lemon into it. Dip your fingers repeatedly during the time of cleaning the banana flowers to avoid dark strains.

Take the banana flower and extract each purple or maroon petals of the flower until it reaches the core where the petals turn soft in texture and white in colour. At this stage, the petals are interconnected with each other. Each petal contains aptly arranged inner florets inside.

Keep the core of the banana flower aside.

Separate the inner florets from the petals and discard all the thick maroon petals.

Now take the separated florets which are extracted initially. Here, each floret contains two inedible parts which needs to be removed. Each floret contains a hard stick and a plastic like transparent part which need to be removed before chopping. Separate both of them from each floret. But remember to dip your fingers into lemon water repeatedly during the time of doing this job.

The cleaning part of banana flower is done. Now it’s time to chop the florets and core. At this stage, I highly recommend using hand gloves. If you are not using hand gloves, then apply oil on your palm.

During the time of chopping the florets and inner core it releases sticky liquid which makes it difficult to cut. To overcome from this problem, always apply oil on chopping board and on the blade of the knife. This would prevent the liquid to stick to them.

First finely chop the cleaned florets.

Then cut the head of the core and discard it before chopping. Then finely chop the core. Keeping the chopped banana flower outside for longer makes it darker in colour.

Many people prefer to soak the chopped banana flower in water for some time to avoid it getting darker.

But I personally feel that soaking the chopped banana flower in water makes the job messy. So, I immediately transfer them into the pressure cooker and add some water, salt, turmeric powder and cook it till soft.

Though the basic preparation of the niramish banana flower dry curry is almost similar in every family but some variations can be made by adding different types of elements. But in each preparation mocha ghonto tastes amazing. Here are few popular variations of the recipe given below

• Mocha ghonto can be prepared by adding some grated coconut.
• It can also be prepared with some soaked black chickpea.
• Sometimes few people prefer to add both grated coconut and black chickpea to the banana flower curry.
• Few people prepare the traditional mochar ghonto by adding some gobindobhog chaal (An aromatic small grain rice) into it.
• Many people add daler bora into the recipe. For the bora they soak and grind motor dal (Yellow split pea) with some spices and deep fry the batter in small portions.

• Mocha is high in iron which results to dark strains on fingers during the time of discarding the inedible parts of each floret of banana flower. To avoid it, take a bowl and add some lemon juice into it. Dip you fingers repeatedly after some time into the lemon water during the time of removing stigma and transparent petal from each floret.
• During the time of chopping the florets and inner core, it releases sticky liquid which makes it difficult to cut. To overcome from this problem, always apply oil on chopping board and on the blade of the knife. This would prevent the liquid to stick to them. Either you can apply oil on your palm, or I highly recommend using hand gloves at this stage.
• After chopping the banana flower, pressure cook them immediately in salted water to avoid getting dark in colour.
• Pressure cook the chopped banana flowers till soft but not mushy or else the texture of the whole dish will get ruined. If you don’t have pressure cooker, then boil them in a kadai or pan.
• After cooking the banana flower till soft, strain the water completely and squeeze out excess water.
• Mash the strained banana flowers either with hands or with a back of spoon. But don’t use blender or over mush it till smooth.
• Always use mustard oil to prepare the traditional Bengali food. It gives better flavour and taste to the dish.
• Use Bengali garam masala rather than regular garam masala for better flavour.
• Don’t forget to add some ghee (Clarified butter) at the end. It enhances the flavour and taste of the dish.

To prepare mocha ghonto, first clean the banana flower by removing the hard stick and a plastic like transparent part of each florets and then finely chop the florets and core of the banana flower. Then transfer them immediately into a cooker and add water, salt, turmeric powder and mix it. Cook it in medium flame till 3 whistles. After the pressure gets released, strain the mocha with the help of a strainer. Add some cold water on it to cool down.

Mash the mocha either with hands or with a back of spoon. But don’t use blender or over mush it till smooth. Keep it aside.

Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add mustard oil into the pan and wait until the oil is hot. Generally, most of the traditional Bengali food is cooked in mustard oil. It gives an outstanding flavour to the dish.

After this, temper the whole spices – bay leaf, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon stick, cumin seeds and dry red chillies and let them crackle. The amalgamation of these whole spices with mustard oil creates an epic flavour which is the secret of many Bengali recipes.

Then add the potato chunk into the pan and give a nice mix. Then add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and mix it well. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for a minute. Add finely chopped ginger, green chillies into the pan and mix it. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for another couple of minutes until the raw smell disappears.

Add ghee into the pan and allow it to melt. Add grated coconut at this stage and give a nice mix. Cook it in low flame until the raw smell goes away. Stir frequently to make sure that the coconut does not get burnt.

Add cumin powder, coriander powder into the pan and give a nice mix. Add some water and cook the masala in medium flame for 1-2 minutes until the raw smell disappears.

Then add the semi mashed mocha aka banana flower into the pan and mix it well. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for 10 minutes. Stir in between.

At the final stage of cooking, add sugar, bengali garam masala powder (a ground spice mixture which contains equal portion of cardamom, cinnamon and cloves) and ghee (Clarified butter), one by one into the pan and mix. These spices complement the flavour of the dish very well.

Cook it in high flame for a minute and then switch off the flame.

Many traditional Bengali Recipes have already been shared in my previous posts. You can check few of them like

Chanar Dalna
Aloo Posto
Doi Begun
Echorer dalna

..And Many more…

1 cup = 250 ml

• 1 big Mocha (Banana blossom)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 3 cups Water

• 1 large Potato, medium diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped or grated Ginger
• 2-3 green Chillies
• 1/3 cup grated Coconut
• 1 Bay leaf (Tejpatta)
• 1-inch Cinnamon stick (Dalchini)
• 3 Cardamoms (Elaichi)
• 3-4 Cloves (Laung)
• 1-2 dry red Chillies
• ¼ teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon red Chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon Cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon Coriander powder
• ¾ teaspoon Bengali Garam Masala
• ½ tablespoon Sugar
• Salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon Ghee (Clarified butter), divided into ½ tablespoon + ½ tablespoon
• 2 tablespoons Mustard oil
• 2-3 tablespoons of Water (To cook the spice)

1. Clean the banana flower by removing the hard stick and a plastic like transparent part of each florets and then finely chop the florets and core of the banana flower.
2. Transfer them immediately into pressure cooker and add 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and mix it. Cook it in medium flame till 3 whistles and then allow cooker to release pressure.
3. Take off the lid of the cooker and strain the mocha with the help of a strainer. Wash it with some cold water to cool down.
4. Mash the mocha either with hands or with a back of spoon. But don’t use blender or over mush it till smooth. Keep it aside.
5. Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add 2 tablespoons mustard oil into the pan and wait until the oil is hot.
6. Once the oil is hot, add 1 bay leaf, 3-4 cloves, 3 cardamom, 1 inch cinnamon stick, ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds, dry red chillies into the pan and let them crackle.
7. Add the potato chunks into the pan and give a nice mix.
8. Add salt, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chilli powder into the pan and mix it well. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for a minute.
9. Add 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger, 2-3 green chillies into the pan and mix it. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for another couple of minutes until the raw smell disappears.
10. Add ½ tablespoon ghee (Clarified butter) into the pan and mix it.
11. Add 1/3 cup grated coconut at this stage and give a nice mix. Cook it in low flame until the raw smell of coconut goes away. Stir frequently to make sure that the coconut does not get burnt.
12. Add ½ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon coriander powder into the pan and give a nice mix. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water and cook the masala in medium flame for 1-2 minutes until the raw smell disappears.
13. Add the semi mashed mocha aka banana flower (Step 4) into the pan and mix it well. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for 10-12 minutes. Stir in between.
14. At this stage, add ½ tablespoon sugar, ¾ tablespoon bengali garam masala powder and ½ tablespoon ghee, one by one into the pan and mix.
15. Cook it in high flame for a minute and then switch off the flame.

Transfer the mocha ghonto into a serving bowl or on a serving plate. Serve hot or warm to enjoy the best taste. Relish the authentic Bengali recipe with plain Rice and enjoy your meal.

Mocha ghonto | Mochar ghonto | Mocha recipe Bengali | Banana flower curry

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 1 Hour Cooking Time: 40 Minutes 40 Minutes

Nutrition facts: NA calories NA fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

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Ingredients

1 cup = 250 ml

To pressure cook the mocha

• 1 big Mocha (Banana blossom)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 3 cups Water

Other ingredients for Mocha ghonto

• 1 large Potato, medium diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped or grated Ginger
• 2-3 green Chillies
• 1/3 cup grated Coconut
• 1 Bay leaf (Tejpatta)
• inch Cinnamon stick (Dalchini)
• 3 Cardamoms (Elaichi)
• 3-4 Cloves (Laung)
• 1-2 dry red Chillies
• ¼ teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon red Chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon Cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon Coriander powder
• ¾ teaspoon Bengali Garam Masala
• ½ tablespoon Sugar
• Salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon Ghee (Clarified butter), divided into ½ tablespoon + ½ tablespoon
• 2 tablespoons Mustard oil
• 2-3 tablespoons of Water (To cook the spice)

Instructions

1. Clean the banana flower by removing the hard stick and a plastic like transparent part of each florets and then finely chop the florets and core of the banana flower.
2. Transfer them immediately into pressure cooker and add 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and mix it. Cook it in medium flame till 3 whistles and then allow cooker to release pressure.
3. Take off the lid of the cooker and strain the mocha with the help of a strainer. Wash it with some cold water to cool down.
4. Mash the mocha either with hands or with a back of spoon. But don’t use blender or over mush it till smooth. Keep it aside.
5. Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add 2 tablespoons mustard oil into the pan and wait until the oil is hot.
6. Once the oil is hot, add 1 bay leaf, 3-4 cloves, 3 cardamom, 1 inch cinnamon stick, ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds, dry red chillies into the pan and let them crackle.
7. Add the potato chunks into the pan and give a nice mix.
8. Add salt, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chilli powder into the pan and mix it well. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for a minute.
9. Add 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger, 2-3 green chillies into the pan and mix it. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for another couple of minutes until the raw smell disappears.
10. Add ½ tablespoon ghee (Clarified butter) into the pan and mix it.
11. Add 1/3 cup grated coconut at this stage and give a nice mix. Cook it in low flame until the raw smell of coconut goes away. Stir frequently to make sure that the coconut does not get burnt.
12. Add ½ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon coriander powder into the pan and give a nice mix. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water and cook the masala in medium flame for 1-2 minutes until the raw smell disappears.
13. Add the semi mashed mocha aka banana flower (Step 4) into the pan and mix it well. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for 10-12 minutes. Stir in between.
14. At this stage, add ½ tablespoon sugar, ¾ tablespoon bengali garam masala powder and ½ tablespoon ghee, one by one into the pan and mix.
15. Cook it in high flame for a minute and then switch off the flame.