What?! Are Sunday Snapshots back?! I hope so, my friend, I hope so!
Banana blossoms are considered to be exotic in the US. They shouldn't be as the banana plant is one of the oldest plants known to man and the banana fruit one of the most common fruits. The banana plant makes pretensions to be a tree when, in fact, it is the largest flowering herbaceous plant. If you haven't seen a banana blossom before, then these Sunday Snapshots might interest you.
Purple red blossom
Always intriguing
Peel away the reddish-purple bracts to reveal the flowers
Each flower becomes that ever-so-familiar banana
The bracts and flowers become paler the closer to the inside they are.
Female flower, with a prominent stigma
Tender heart of the banana blossom
Apart from the darker tough outer bracts, almost all of the blossom is edible. I'll have a recipe coming up later this week.
Banana plants by the roadside in Viet Nam
Young green bananas emerging from the banana blossom
Green bananas growing from a banana blossom
Banana plants became a common sight as we started descending to a lower elevation through the Central Highlands of Viet Nam. These pictures aren't the greatest because it was very windy but they show you how bananas emerge from a banana blossom.
Banana blossoms are considered to be exotic in the US. They shouldn't be as the banana plant is one of the oldest plants known to man and the banana fruit one of the most common fruits. The banana plant makes pretensions to be a tree when, in fact, it is the largest flowering herbaceous plant. If you haven't seen a banana blossom before, then these Sunday Snapshots might interest you.
Purple red blossom
Always intriguing
Peel away the reddish-purple bracts to reveal the flowers
Each flower becomes that ever-so-familiar banana
The bracts and flowers become paler the closer to the inside they are.
Female flower, with a prominent stigma
Tender heart of the banana blossom
Apart from the darker tough outer bracts, almost all of the blossom is edible. I'll have a recipe coming up later this week.
Banana plants by the roadside in Viet Nam
Young green bananas emerging from the banana blossom
Green bananas growing from a banana blossom
Banana plants became a common sight as we started descending to a lower elevation through the Central Highlands of Viet Nam. These pictures aren't the greatest because it was very windy but they show you how bananas emerge from a banana blossom.
11 comments:
beautiful pictures I can find it in Canada in Indian and Chinese stores
is Bananas are amazing, especially the quick ripening period. One day they are just about perfect and the next, on the ground overripe. Truly amazing! Great photos.
Lovely! Do you have any recipes that call for it? I have a flower in my refrigerator and want to try something other than the standard "paruppu usli"
Hello Manisha....new to your blog..stumbled upon it literally and found a treasure trove!
Banana Blossom or 'Mocha' (ch as in chai) as we call in Bengali is a much loved 'veggie' and is made into a delicious vegetarian dish (sometimes non-vegetarian with prawns added) called Mochar Ghonto....
Will be a regular on your blog!
Sharmistha
I never knew about the blossoms till I found them soaking in water in a friend's kitchen a few years ago. I have yet to eat or make anything from them though. Will wait for your recipe.
@Sharmistha, I too stumbled on IFR, though not literally (kinda impossible to do on the net), and have been a regular since. :-) You are in good hands here.
@Desisoccermom...stumbled upon...virtually? ;))
Beautiful shots. I have never tasted anything made from banana blossom. Will you post some recipes soon?
Torviewtoronto, thanks! And, yes, easily found in Asian stores. Not so much the Indian stores in my neck of the woods, though.
Thistledew Farm, do you have a banana plant?! Lucky you! They are amazing. Practically every part of the banana plant has a use!
wampeter, I hope to post a recipe today. Fingers crossed! It is much simpler than a South Indian usli, as most Maharashtrian food is. So I hope you aren't disappointed!
Sharmistha, welcome to IFR! I want to make your mochar ghonto! Thank you for stumbling, not falling and I hope you stick around!
DSM, I didn't care for banana blossoms when I was younger. My recipe is very simple, put together with the help of my cousins and niece in India. It is an acquired taste, I think, when cooked without too many layers of spices. And, wow! Thank you for the compliments. Now my head won't fit into my helmet. Good thing I'm not in the mood to go bike riding!
Manasi, it's a very common "vegetable" along the Indian coast, especially in Goa. A recipe should be coming up soon!
Just saw your Whole Foods post. We also add chana dal and urad dal to the tadka :) And some add coconut. Yum!
A slightly more complicated recipe would be to add tamarind extract and jaggery and let it stew until it's all absorbed. The balance of sweet and sour is tough but one of my childhood favourites. With that, I miss my grandmum now :(
Love your pictures of my favourite banana blossom. We mallus cook it often. Delicious. Miss them here.
wow i so miss banana blossoms...we call it vazha poo and make a ton of yummies with it. I remember my Gma making vazha poo vadais, vazha poo usili, vazha poo peanut curry....sadly I dont get them in upstate NY.... :((((
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