Thursday, April 19, 2012
TALK about bananas and you are sure to elicit a lot of oohs and aahs from everyone.
Aside from being available all the country and is eaten by everyone, rich or poor, banana has gone a long way.
We have so many varieties of banana but basically, it is divided into two groups: the dessert banana and the cooking banana. Both are widely used and eaten. The dessert banana comes in small (about two to three inches to as big as seven to eight inches in length). Cooking bananas are often bigger both in length and circumference.
In the Philippines and some other Asian countries, banana plays a major role in our diets. High in starch, this is also a staple food for most of us. And being resourceful, we tend to use almost all parts of the banana plant.
The leaves are used as lining for a lot of food. It can also be used to give flavor to certain dishes when wrapped in it. It is also used as an “umbrella” during the rainy or hot season. The trunks are used in drying tablea (native chocolate); it is used for arranging flowers and sticking barbeques and the like. It is also used to make banana fabric.
The fruits are, of course, eaten as a dessert or used as part of a dish. And of course, the flowers! We normally used it in salads but most often, it is cooked the ginaataan way.
I started my love affair with this dish only very recently. Maybe in the last 10 years or less. I got to try this in one of my friend’s houses during one dinner activity and as the saying goes, I got hooked. And the rest is history.
But it was not enough, I asked and became more interested in these blossoms. Until I finally went to the market myself and bought these exotic buds. And sure enough, they were also selling the other major ingredient needed for this dish, which is the shredded coconut, ready to be squeezed.
I asked them how it was prepared and since I am sure they wanted to make a sale, they taught me, vaguely. But that was enough because it was easy for me to “experiment” or should I say, concoct this delicious healthy dish from what the ingredients were.
To start, add some salt in the chopped or sliced blossom and squeeze it to remove the bitterness out of it. Then wash the blossoms with flowing water and drain before using it.
By the way, sometimes the blossoms are sold as it is, so the hard covering should be removed first. Sometimes, they are sold, chopped which is better if you are running out of time or just lazy to do a little more.
So, having some chopped garlic and onions, I sauté them in a little hot oil. I added a little ground meat (for more flavor), then comes the sliced sweet bell pepper and tomatoes. A little vinegar and then the banana blossoms. Let it simmer for a while to soften and finally, add the coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper.
I am pretty sure it is my fondness of the coconut milk that makes me love this dish. But, served as a salad, it has its uniqueness, too although, it took me a while to finally crave for this.
I hope this truly Pinoy dish, Ginataang Puso ng Saging would become one of your favorites. Easy to prepare and deliciously healthy. Why not try it….now?
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