A twist to locally grown vegetable, fried banana blossom chips
Banana blossom, is a fleshy purple-skinned flower which blooms on the banana plant. This edible blossom is very popular among Sri Lankans as it’s used to make many recipes as banana blossom curry, salad, fried and some people even use this as a filling. Most western cuisines use banana blossom as a vegan substitute to make vegan fish and chips, which of course I will be trying out sometime soon.
I’ve used banana blossom to make a sauteed dish where you chop the banana blossom into fine pieces, season it with salt, pepper, chili powder, turmeric powder, and saute it with onions, curry leaves, and finally add some Maldive fish to the mix. This can be served with rice and curry. I remembered once my sister made something really creative and delicious with these which tasted like fried fish chips. when we were kids, unlike me my sister was into cooking and always trying out many different recipes in the kitchen, once I remember she made some crackers with shoeblack plant flowers and leaves which actually came out delicious. So this recipe is an inspiration from my sister with a few enhancements.
I’ve used Saaraketha organic banana blossom to make this recipe, Saaraketha provides a wide range of products ranging from fresh vegetables, fruits, greens, and even a different range of condiments that are all organic and locally sourced.
Ingredients
- 01 medium-sized banana blossom
- 02 flax eggs/ chia eggs
- 02 tbsp of water
- 02 tbsp of chickpea flour
- 01 tsp of salt
- 1/2 tsp of lemon salt
- 01 tsp of garlic powder
- 01 tsp of onion powder
- 1/2 tsp of minced ginger
- 2-3 drops of liquid smoke
- 1/2 tsp of chili/paprika powder
- 1/2 tsp of pepper
- 1/4 tsp of turmeric
- 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
- Oil for frying
Tips
- Before slicing the banana blossom make sure you remove any layers that are loose or are no longer attached.
- Make sure you cut the banana blossom into thin slices as it takes less time to cook and also helps to absorb the flavor deeply.
- If you don’t want to keep this recipe vegan then feel free to use regular eggs for the mixture.
- Make sure you refrigerate the slices before frying them as it helps to keep the breadcrumbs intact.
Method
- First, cut the banana blossom into 1 – 1.5cm thick slices.
- Add flax egg, chickpea powder, liquid smoke, and water in a medium bowl and give it a good mix. Leave the mixture for 05 minutes.
- Next, add all the seasoning to the mixture, salt, lemon salt, ginger, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, chili powder, turmeric, and give it a good mix.
- Dip the banana blossom slices in the batter and leave for 05-10 minutes. This helps to absorb all the flavors to the banana blossom slices.
- Add the breadcrumbs to a separate dish, lay the coated banana blossom slices on the breadcrumbs, flip it and press them onto the breadcrumbs to coat, Lay on a piece of paper or a plate and refrigerate for 04-05 hours.
- Heat a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat and add oil just enough to fry. When the oil is heated lay the banana blossom slices and fry for 04-05 minutes on each side till golden brown. Place it on paper to remove excess oil.
- Let’s serve – Sprinkle a bit of lemon slat, squeeze some lemon juice on top, and serve warm.
Try this recipe out and let me know how this turns out for you in the comments! You can also share your results with me on Instagram with the hashtag #thefoodsnapsrecipes.
Can’t wait to see your re-creations!
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