Banana stem chaat video goes viral on Instagram. (Photo: Instagram/ foodie_incarnate)
Indian street food is diverse. From soft pav bhajis to fluffy chole bhaturas, flavourful paani puris and crispy papdi chaats, the list is endless. But have you ever heard of a banana stem chaat? If not, then this video is here to take you on a culinary ride. A video shared by a food blogger on Instagram (@foodie_incarnate) shows a vendor preparing this "unusual" South Indian snack item. The man begins the preparation by tearing open the exterior of the banana stem. Once done, the stem is chopped into tiny pieces. Sliced cucumbers, grated carrots, masala-coated chanas and a pinch of salt are added to the sliced banana stems.
In the following step, the vendor pours a spoonful of spicy green chutney and sweet-sour sauce. Next, the mixture is topped with crispy aloo bhujia. A squeeze of lemon was all that was needed to enhance the flavour. The vendor then mixes all the ingredients uniformly in a container. The banana stem chaat is ready. The snack is then served on a banana leaf.
The internet was quick to react to the video. "Banana stem is widely used in Bangalore food recipes," said one viewer. Another wrote, "Being from North India, it is one of the most fresh and tasty bhel puri I had."
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"It's one of the healthiest snacks. We consume banana stems for kidney stones and intestine issues," read a comment. A few users were surprised to know that banana stems can be eaten raw. "We cook and eat! Never knew it (banana stem) could be eaten raw."
"Banana stem tastes yum when cooked with tangy and spicy masalas," said another foodie. There were a few comments questioning the hygiene in the making of the chaat. A user wrote, "Everything was good until he mixed it without a spoon."
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So far, the video has garnered over 1.3 million views. Would you like to try this interesting chaat? Share with us in the comments.