Celebrity chef Vikas Khanna took to Instagram last month to pay tribute to the legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar who passed away in 2022. There were two reasons for Khanna’s post, dated 23rd January 2024. Firstly, he was commemorating the event of the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, and secondly, he was paying homage to Mangeshkar, fondly referred to as “The Nightingale of India.” This is because Mangeshkar is inextricably linked to the city of Ayodhya; the cultural landmark of the Lata Mangeshkar Chowk was inaugurated in the city in September 2023.
In his caption, Khanna lovingly recalled how Mangeshkar had invited him to her home, Prabhu Kunj, to prepare “prasad” a number of years ago, and granted his heart’s wish. He explained that to celebrate her legacy in Ayodhya, he wanted to showcase his steamed bananas recipe, which was one of her favourites. The video unfolds to a melodious rhythm, with Khanna chopping bananas with their skin on, and drilling a single hole into each piece, post which he is shown grating coconut.
Next, he is shown combining jaggery, grated coconut, cardamom, and sesame in a pan, and blending them gently till the mixture assumes a rich brown colour and becomes firm in structure. Subsequently, mounds of the jaggery-coconut mixture are used as fillings, and placed into the banana holes; the bananas are then put in a steamer for steaming purposes. Once steamed to a satisfactory degree, Khanna lays them out tastefully on a banana leaf in a steel plate.
Many heart emojis can be seen in the comments under this video, indicating that it is a big hit among Khanna’s followers. The video has also garnered over 15,000 likes and numerous glowing comments. Not only are the commenters praising Khanna’s sweet tribute to Mangeshkar and his pure sentiment behind posting the video, but also lauding his humble recipe. Try out this steamed bananas recipe as a prasad for your next religious function and see how well you can replicate the master chef Vikas Khanna’s dish!