This niramish mochar ghonto is a classic Bengali recipe in which the banana flower or blossom (kele ka phool) is peeled and cooked into a dry stir-fry. Mocha r ghonto is a Bengali niramish tarkari, i.e., it is a no onion and garlic dish. This easy mochar torkari recipe needs some basic spices and some grated coconut.

In this blog post, I have included the step-by-step detailed recipe for traditional mochar ghonto along with a video on how to cut and prep a mocha or a banana flower.

Like several other Bengali recipes, every family has their own mochar ghonto recipe. Some add black chickpeas to it; I prefer adding potatoes cut into smaller cubes. Not only does it add volume to the dish, but it also brings together the strands of banana blossom in a homogenous way. My version of the mochar ghonto recipe is drawn from the recipe that my mother follows, which she learnt from her mother many years back.

Table of Contents

How to cut a banana blossom or mocha?

Among various Bengali banana recipes, this mochar ghonto is one of our favourites. It is a classical delicacy that has been a part of our family menu for several generations.

First and foremost, peeling and prepping a banana blossom is a bit of a time-consuming activity. But once it is done patiently and accurately, the final dish of mochar ghonto in Bengali style is worth every ounce of energy spent on it.

To peel it, you have to remove each of the covering layers of purple-coloured petals, which look like leaves. Inside each such layer, you will find a bunch of stalks.
Separate the stalks from each other and keep them in a bowl. Repeat this till you remove all the layers of leaves and gather all the stalks.
Once you reach the heart of the banana blossom, where it becomes impossible to remove any more layers, remove the base stalk to which the previous leaves were attached and keep it whole to be chopped up. This is edible. Discard all the leaves.
Coming back to the stalks, these are the edible parts of the banana flower. Inside each stalk, you will find a single hard stick with a round top. Try to remove this stick completely and discard it. Patiently do the same with the rest of the stalks.
Once done, chop the stalks as fine as you can along with the heart of the banana flower, which we kept aside earlier. This is how a banana flower is peeled and prepped for cooking.

Ingredients for Narkel diye Mochar Ghonto

Mocha or Banana flower
Potatoes
Mustard Oil
Ghee
Cumin Seeds
Bay Leaf
Green Chilies
Ginger
Cumin Powder
Bengali Garam Masala Powder
Salt
Sugar
Turmeric Powder
Milk
Grated Coconut

Recipe instructions for niramish Mocha’r Ghonto in Bengali style

Prepare and chop the banana flower as explained above. Give it a thorough wash and put it inside a pressure cooker. Pour some water, just enough to submerge them, and some salt & turmeric powder into it. Allow this to cook for 7-8 minutes on high power. Turn off the heat and let the cooker depressurise on its own.
Once the pressure cooker has cooled down completely, open the lid and strain everything. Discard the water and keep the cooked banana flower aside.
Heat some mustard oil in a pan or kadhai and temper it with cumin seeds, bay leaf, and chopped green chillies.
As they sizzle, add the potatoes, cut into small cubes. Stir everything and let it cook on medium heat till the potatoes are partially cooked.
Now add the cooked banana flower and give everything a mix
Season it with some salt, turmeric powder, cumin powder, salt, and grated ginger.
Add the milk, mix everything well, and keep frying it till you see it drying up and reduced in quantity
When it dries up completely and everything is cooked properly, add the garam masala powder and ghee. Mix it well and turn off the heat.
Serve it with a garnish of freshly grated coconut

This niramish style of mochar ghonto tarkari is one of the classics from the pages of Bengali vegetarian cooking. It is quite interesting how we Bengalis use up every part of a banana tree in some or other way. Apart from the leaves, almost the entirety of this tree is edible.

More Bengali Banana Recipes

Banana Fruit – Kola’r Bora or Banana Fritters
Raw Banana – Kanchkolar Kofta Curry, Kanchkolar Khosa Ghonto Recipe, Shukto Recipe | Bengali Mix-Vegetable
Mocha or Banana Flower – Mochar Ghonto
Thor or Banana Tree Stalk – coming soon.
Banana Leaf – Chingri Macher Paturi

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niramish mochar ghonto recipe in Bengali style

Narkel diye Niramish Mochar Ghonto | নিরামিষ মোচার ঘোঁটো

Priyanka

This niramish mochar ghonto is a classic Bengali recipe where the banana flower or banana blossom is peeled and cooked into a dry stir-fry. This mochar tarkari is served with rice and is consumed at the beginning of the meal. Mocha r ghonto is a Bengali niramish tarkari, i.e. it is a no onion and garlic dish. Hence, a completely vegetarian side dish from Bengali cuisine.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Bengali

Servings 4 people

Equipment

Stove Top
Pressure Cooker
Heavy bottom Non-stick Pan

Ingredients

1 Mocha or Banana flower Small Size
1 Potatoes Medium Size – cut in small cubes
3 tbsp Mustard Oil
1 tbsp Ghee
½ tsp Cumin Seeds
1 Bay Leaf
2 Green Chilies
1 tbsp Ginger
1 tsp Cumin Powder
½ tsp Bengali Garam Masala Powder
Salt to Taste
1 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
¼ cup Milk
Grated Coconut for garnish

Instructions

Prepare and chop the banana flower as explained above in the Blogpost. Give it a thorough wash and put it inside a pressure cooker. Pour some water, just enough to submerge them and some salt & turmeric powder into it.
Allow this to cook for 7-8 minutes on high power. Turn off the heat and let the cooker depressurize on its own.
1 Mocha or Banana flower
Once the pressure cooker has cooled down completely, open the lid and strain everything. Discard the water and keep the cooked banana flower aside.
Heat some mustard oil in a pan or kadhai and temper it with cumin seeds, bay leaf and chopped green chillies.
3 tbsp Mustard Oil, ½ tsp Cumin Seeds, 1 Bay Leaf, 2 Green Chilies
As they sizzle, add the potatoes cut into small cubes. Stir everything and let it cook on medium heat till the potatoes are partially cooked.
1 Potatoes
Now add the cooked banana flower and give everything a mix
Season it with some salt, turmeric powder, cumin powder, sugar and grated ginger.
1 tbsp Ginger, 1 tsp Cumin Powder, Salt to Taste, 1 tsp Turmeric Powder, 1 tbsp Sugar
Add the milk and mix everything well and keep frying it till you see it drying up and reduced in quantity
¼ cup Milk
When it dries up completely and everything is cooked properly, add the garam masala powder and ghee. Mix it well and turn off the heat.
1 tbsp Ghee, ½ tsp Bengali Garam Masala Powder
Serve it with a garnish of freshly grated coconut
Grated Coconut for garnish