No potatoes but banana stem: Bengaluru street vendor’s sweet and spicy bhel chaat recipe is a guilt-free snack

Bananas, rich in fibre, potassium, vitamins and natural carbohydrates, are among the healthiest and most widely consumed fruits in the world. Easily available across India throughout the year, the versatile banana plant offers far more than just the fruit, with its stem, flower and leaves commonly used to prepare a variety of nutritious and flavourful dishes. Recently, a video of a Bengaluru street-side vendor’s unique chaat recipe made from banana stem has grabbed the attention of social media users. The clip has been posted on X, by a user named Shubham.

Street vendor makes banana stem chaat

The video opened to the vendor cutting one portion of the tender banana stem, before carefully chopping the sides in thin strips. He then finely diced them into tiny cubes until they formed a crunchy base for the bhel. After that, the vendor chopped some cucumber and added it to the bite-sized pieces.



The vendor transferred the chopped banana stem mixture into a large container before mixing it with crunchy puffed rice, diced onions, and tomatoes, tangy chutneys, lemon juice, and special spices. A pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon goes into the concoction for that extra dose of zing. Then, the vendor mixes all the ingredients uniformly until the chaat us ready to be savoured.

Social media reacts to banana stem chaat

In the final step, the vendor pours the banana stem chaat on top of a traditional banana leaf, kept on a paper and serves the delicious treat to Shubham. As per Shubham, the texture was equally crunchy and refreshing with the perfect balance of spice, tanginess and sweetness. His side note read, ‘Bengaluru -We've all eaten bananas, but this is the first time I've ever seen someone turn a banana stem into a delicious dish. I had no idea the stem was edible—would you try it?’


Social media users were quick to queue up in the comments. One individual noted that the banana stem is a ‘rich source of fiber and K⁺ - V common in KL and TN. Even the banana flower is also used, and both you will get in regular sazji shops.’ ‘He does it hygienically. Great to see. Banana stem or vazha thandu we make curry just boil and cook with grated coconut topping and tadka,’ wrote another. A man from West Bengal pointed out, ‘In Bengali it’s called Thor. We cook them sometime, but not very popular as there is no taste . You can try once that’s all.’