Banana Flower Side Dish

Banana Flowers look impressive hanging from their strong stalks, they look equally impressive when served up alongside a traditional green banana curry and saffron rice. The Indians and Thais have used banana flowers in their cooking for centuries. The large and heavy flower is packed with potassium, magnesium and iron and is large enough to provide a hearty and healthy dish for two to three people

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

• 1  banana flower, prepared
• 1⁄2 cup  fresh grated coconut
• 1  cup  of thick tamarind paste (or paste-mix a an egg sized ball of tamarind with boiling water and a 2 tsps of brown sugar)
• 1  onion
• 2  teaspoons garlic, minced
•  oil (for frying)
• 1 1⁄2 inches ginger, peeled and grated
• 1  lime, juice of
• 1⁄2 inch turmeric, peeled and grated or 1⁄4 teaspoon  dried turmeric
• 1  teaspoon garam masala
• 2  green chilies, finely chopped (or to taste)
•  salt
• 1  cup yogurt
•  fresh cilantro, finely chopped to garnish

Directions

1. Preparing the Banana Flower.
2. Straight off the tree the banana flower is too bitter to eat. It must be prepared in advance. Discard the first 2 or 3 sepals – these beautiful dark maroon petals can be saved to serve your dish in later. Peeling back the dark sepals will reveal small elongated white or yellow flowers. These flowers develop into bananas. Save them to add as a garnish later, remember to soak them with the rest of the flower. Holding the tip of the flower first chop off the base of the stem – about and inch and a half is enough, discard this piece. Slice the flower through finely as you might chop a cabbage. Cut all of the flower this way. Put all of your flower, including the earlier saved pieces, into a pot and cover with clean salted water into which a lime or lemon has been squeezed. Set aside for at least an hour, then rinse thoroughly and towel dry or allow to drip dry.
3. Pound or blend together the garam masala, garlic, ginger, tumeric and chillies.
4. Heat oil slowly in a heavy pan and when the oil begins to smoke add the blend and fry stirring often until the oils begin to separate and the smell becomes pungent and very aromatic.
5. Add the chopped onion and banana flower and stir to coat. Add the tamarind sauce and ½ cup of water and allow to simmer for 5 minutes uncovered.
6. Add coconut, salt and lime juice and simmer for another 12-15 minutes covered.
7. Serve in banana sepals, topped with a good spoonful of yogurt, sprinkled with chopped cilantro and decorated with the small yellow flowers.