GATrops

Does anyone have any recipes that use the male portion of the bloom? I am going to have some in the near future and I want to give them a try.

Many Thanks.

momoese

Here is an odd one that sounds fun.

http://www.ling.lu.se/persons/Damrong/stewedbanana.html

GATrops

Thanks. Now I have also found a use for the squirrels that show up in the backyard. I have been wondering what to do with them. Does anyone know how to dry a squirrel? I would imagine a nice big thirsty bath towel and blow dryer would do the job nicely but it might be difficult to get them to stand still that long.

momoese

I thought you might like that. lol

Bananavilla

I'm sure JoeReal will have something to add here. The day he came by my place I have him the bloom off of my Praying Hands. He said he was going to cook it.
I'm curious what can be made of it as well.
Mike

JoeReal

I handed the bloom to my wife and she cooked it for us. I don't know the recipe but I know the preparation step for use in various recipes.

The preparation step is needed to take out the undesirable acids (oxalic) in the petals.

First, warm up water and place 4 oz salt per quart. Add 2 oz vinegar to prevent browning of the skin, or if you are a wine maker like me, I would add a tsp of citric acid. While letting it warm (up to 175 deg F) until the salt dissolves, prepare the banana blossom. You have to peel off several layers of petals until the color is pink or light pink. Then cut away the stalk into 1/4 of the way of the remaining bloom and throw away. Chop off the remaining bloom into thin slices, less than 1/8" per cut, this would be like chopping off onions. Then throw them into your warm salt solution and let soak for at least a couple of hours.

Drain off the chopped blossoms, and lightly hand squeeze them. Rinse the squeezed blossoms with cool water and then squeeze them again, do this process a total of three times. On the last squeeze, do as hard as you could make it.

The resulting product is rich in fiber and can be used in a lot of other recipes and has unique flavor. I'll ask my wife what other various recipes to follow, but let me see if I can remember a few.

One of the quick things I know is egg omelet of the chopped blossoms prepared above. But I will have to microwave the chopped blossom first before mixing it in to the egg omelet. I would get half a cup of the chopped blossom, microwave it for three minutes on high. Then cover and set aside while I prepare the pan for making omelet. Then simply use the banana blossom like you would make any other omelet.

One of the favorite that we do is cook the chopped blossoms in coconut milk, but I don't know the recipe on hand.

Another is to use them when cooking steamed fish.

Still another is to mix it with ground meat and make hamburgers or meat balls. It would be healthier treat.

JoeReal

Banana Blossom Ginataan

Ingredients
1 banana blossom (about 2-lbs)
1 cup pure coconut milk
2 tbsp vinegar (if using 5% acidity vinegar, try 1:1 vinegar/water)
1/4 cup sliced tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp veg oil
2 dried red chillies (optional if you want this slightly spicy) salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Prepare the banana blossom in the previous post.

Heat oil in skillet, if using dried red chillies, add them when the oil is hot but not smoking and let the skins darken somewhat before you add the garlic. Saute garlic until light brown. Add onion, fry till translucent, then add tomatoes. Cook for around 3 minutes. Add banana blossoms and vinegar/water mixture and then bring to boil without stirring. Simmer for around 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir. Continue to cook until banana blossom is tender. Add pure coconut cream and remove from heat. Let stand for a few minutes to help develop the flavours.

JoeReal

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._29322,00.html

Unlike the purple bulb banana blossom from Hawaii, Mexico and South America that is available and used in the USA, Chef Khai remembers the lovely white, tender banana blossoms he enjoyed in Vietnam. To julienne the banana blossoms, Chef Khai uses the thinnest setting on a Japanese mandolin. It is important to soak the strips in a large bowl of cold water with white vinegar to prevent discoloration.

2 small banana blossoms, or 4 cups well-packed finely julienned banana blossom strips
2 tablespoons white vinegar
4 tablespoons White Vinaigrette, recipe follows
2 cups shredded, poached chicken breast
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 ruby red grapefruit, sectioned and each segment torn into thirds, optional
2 teaspoons chopped rau rum (Vietnamese mint), or regular mint
6 tablespoons chili fish sauce
4 tablespoons crispy shallot flakes
4 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts

Peel off and discard the tough, old outer layers (called bracts) of the banana blossom. Use a Japanese mandolin with the thinnest setting and cut into fine julienne strips; immediately plunge into large bowl of cold water and the white vinegar. When ready to prepare the salad, remove the julienne strips and shake off the tiny white buds (chopped up baby buds). Rinse and drain. Squeeze dry of the excess water. Place 4 cups well packed strips into a bowl. Add the white vinaigrette and toss for a few seconds. Pour off the excess liquid.

In a separate bowl, toss the shredded chicken with salt, pepper, and lime juice. Add the grapefruit, rau rum, and chili fish sauce and mix together thoroughly.

To serve, mound the salad equally onto 4 separate plates. Top each salad with 1 tablespoon crispy shallot flakes and 1 tablespoon chopped peanuts. Serve immediately.

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

White Vinaigrette:
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Set aside.

Yield: about 2 cups

Chef's Note: Chef Khai's kitchen is stocked with this simple white vinaigrette in large amounts. He uses it as a rinse to rid unwanted raw flavors. It also lightly seasons salad ingredients with a delicate sweet and sour pickled taste.

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

GATrops

JoeReal-Thank you so much for the recipes. I will give them a try just as soon as the female flowers have all opened and I can cut the bloom off. I really appreciate you posting them and look forward to giving them a try. The "Banana Blossom Ginataan" sounds excellent.

Richard

MediaHound

Thanks for sharing this info Joe - I have a bloom I would like to cook and these posts of yours are especially useful

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chong

Joe-

You left out "Karé-karé". Beef stew in peanut sauce with chunks of banana flower (the whole heart - not just the blossom)*, yard long beans, eggplant, and depending on the region - radish. (Needs the condiment - salted shrimp fries (bagoong) sautéd with crispy pork rinds and garlic)

And - "Paksiw na Pata". Pork (leg or feet) stewed in vinegar, garlic, onions, whole pepper corns, and dried banana blossoms** (not the whole heart). Fish, like mackerel, hasa-hasa, milkfish, etc., may be substituted for pork. In which case, it becomes "Paksiw na Isda".

*Until 10 years ago, we were substituting Artichoke hearts for banana flower. The taste for this application is pretty close.

**Also, for dried banana blossoms, we have been substituting dried lotus blossoms. Here the taste is very similar, though the lotus' texture is a little tougher than the banana's. The banana's is definitely a lot more tender. But it's still pretty scarce around here.

bigdog

Leave it to Jarred to dig up a 2 1/2 year old thread...


Here's one that I was just looking at the other day for a banana flower salad, Indian style.

Ganesh Mani Pradhan & Son The Nursery