Episode 4- Banana Flower

Namaskaram!🙏

Welcome to Learning your Roots. Thank you for your continued support. My video on Harvesting and Consuming Okra has nearly touched 200 views and reached 29 subscribers. My article on Rice noodles was also accepted with love. 🙏 

  

  Today we are talking about my favorite Banana flower. Someone from Facebook told me that he simply throws his Banana Flower into a compost bin, so I thought I will make a video on what it is and how to use it right!

Banana leaves and flower are two different things. Banana leaves are not edible but are amazing organic food wrappers. If the food is hot, it will even add amazing fresh green taste to it.

Young Banana flower

Today we are going to talk about -
1. Choosing the right Banana Flower
2. Harvesting
3. Preparing the Banana Flower using a traditional recipe 

Banana Flower, Banana Blossom, Vazhaipoo, or Koombu (Malayalam) are the different names of this flower. High in nutrients and fiber, it contains Calcium, Potassium, Vitamin A, C, E. But not all Banana Flowers are the same. In Kerala, we use Banana flowers of 'Plantain' and 'Gnalipovan' as they're the least bitter. Flowers of other varieties are also safe for consumption. Sorry couldn't explain this well in the video, I'm still getting used talking in front of a camera. You should be able to find one in any Asian store if you like to try. 'Gnalipovan' is a type of small banana that loved throughout Kerala.
  

Gnali-povan

Some banana variants don’t have a flower at all, like the 'Burro banana' or also know as 'Povan-payam' in Malayalam. (Povan stands for rooster and Payam stands for a ripe banana.)

1. Choosing the right banana. 

The freshness of this is indicated by the Redness of the flower. Red is fresh, as it gets older it turns black-er. That's one way to distinguish the good from the bad. Once you peel back the outer petals, the flowers inside should be cream in color which means its fresh, alternatively if darker it is old. Something to keep in mind; the older and black-er the flower, the more bitter it is. 

2. When to Harvest?

Cut the flower when the fruit starts to mature, you would notice the stalk simply elongates producing tiny fruits. Grab the flower by it top and simply snap it off. You would notice a sticky sap starts to appear, clean it off or else it will stain your clothes. Prepare the flower as soon as you can or use it within 1-2 days because remember - the longer it sits the more bitter it gets! 🙅

3. Recipe 

This is a simply delicious recipe that you can adjust to suit your tastes and preferences. Make sure you oil your hands well and lay newspaper or cover of sorts so the surfaces don’t come in contact with the sap. 🙅

Ingredients - 

1. 1 Banana flower

2. 2 Medium Onions

3. Chillis and curry leaves (optional) 

4. A handful of coconut shavings

5. Half cup of Raw brown beans

6. Salt, Tumeric and Chilli powder (to taste)

Instructions - 

1. Chop the Banana flower as shown in the video.

2. Clean the chopped flower.

3. Add thinly sliced onions, chili (optional), and curry leaves (optional).

4. Add coconut shavings (optional), mix together and add the brown beans.

5. Add 3/4 cup of water. 

6. Boil until soft.

Watch the video to know how to chop banana flower right.

Question- Have many types of Bananas have you tried? Comment below or below the video. I'm curious to know!

Thank you for reading so far. Please support me by subscribing to the blog (on the right) and subscribing to my channel. More similar content coming to you every Wednesday and Saturday! Have a good day ahead.💪

With love,

Sijo 

Suggested- Sweeter than CUSTARD? Sweetsop review https://youtu.be/G2ztnYswi30