I bought a tin of both banana blossoms and young jackfruit, a few months ago. I had no idea what to make with them, but it seemed a good price and something new to explore.
With lockdown in South Africa well on its way and our food stock running low, it seemed a good time to do some research and try out those banana blossoms. They are also known as banana hearts.
I have been so in love with edible flowers lately. In my last post I made fresh petal hibiscus tea. Refreshing, free and so good for you.
Today we are exploring another flower. A flower that is perhaps a little more exotic and unique. The banana blossom! i.e. the flower you will find on a banana tree.
Are Banana Blossoms good for you?
After doing some research, it seems it is more than just good for you, it is a power-house of vitamins and minerals with a great health profile. Banana blossoms are a valuable source of potassium, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A, minerals, fatty acid content, flavonoids, saponin, essential and non-essential amino acid, tannins, glycoside and steroid. Banana flower is a good antioxidant source.
What are Banana Blossoms good for?
- Good at treating infections
- Good for diabetics and anemics
- Good for women’s health | pregnant and breastfeeding women
- Good for your heart
- Good for your kidneys
- Good at healing wounds
- Good for high-blood pressure
- Good for boosting your mood and anxiety
- Anti-aging power
- Gastrointestinal health
- Good for Neural disorders like Alzheimer and Parkinson’s disease
What does it taste like?
Banana blossoms fried in a batter looks and taste surprisingly just like fish. I know what you are thinking. Never! Nothing tastes like fish. But wow. The flavour and texture profile is very close. I would say it has more of a light lemon flavour than that of fish. Due to the flakey nature of the banana blossoms, the texture feels very similar to that of fish and with the seaweed batter, it really is a great substitute.
What makes it taste ‘fishy’?
Adding flakes of seaweed helps with making it taste more fish-like.
Banana blossoms packs a punch in terms of its health profile. It is such a unique flower, that if you fry it up with some batter it flakes just like fish. It has a more lemon "fresh" flavour. But with the seaweed added to the batter, you could be mistaken this dish as fish. It will satisfy those cravings in no time.
Mix half a cup of tempura flour with one cup of ice-cold water.
Mix half a cup of all-purpose flour with salt and seaweed flakes.
Open the banana blossoms and drain the liquid. Rinse the banana blossoms and pat dry.
Add oil into a pot and heat until it is ready for deep frying.
Take one of the banana blossoms and dip it into the dry batter. Then dip it into the wet batter and fry until golden brown.
Serve with chips and tzatziki.
Ingredients
Directions
Mix half a cup of tempura flour with one cup of ice-cold water.
Mix half a cup of all-purpose flour with salt and seaweed flakes.
Open the banana blossoms and drain the liquid. Rinse the banana blossoms and pat dry.
Add oil into a pot and heat until it is ready for deep frying.
Take one of the banana blossoms and dip it into the dry batter. Then dip it into the wet batter and fry until golden brown.
Serve with chips and tzatziki.
Notes
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8 Comments
Sierra Albis
May 23, 2020 at 12:09 pmWOW! This looks delicious! I absolutely love your blog and am so happy I ran across it. I can not wait to keep trying out more of your recipes 🙂 Everything is SO delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Vicky Beaney
May 23, 2020 at 12:18 pmThis looks incredible! I’ll have to give it a try.
Matthew Lovett
May 23, 2020 at 12:28 pmReally interested recipe! One of the last great missions for the vegan community is making tasty vegan seafood alternatives, so this is much needed. Looks amazing!
Ann Pape
May 23, 2020 at 12:58 pmWhat an interesting and unique recipe. I have never tried banana blossoms, but I am interested in trying them!
Ildiko
May 24, 2020 at 2:10 pmWow!!! What an interesting dish! I have never heard of eating banana blossoms. Your video is fantastic . Pairing it with the fries and tzatziki reminds of the many times I have eaten fried calamari with tzatziki and fries in Greece! Great blog! I would love to try them but they don’t sell banana blossoms where I live.
Cyclointuitioc
May 25, 2020 at 12:10 pmSuch a nice blog! So original and good looking! Love it! Thanks for sharing! A great discovery for me!
Jennifer
May 25, 2020 at 12:21 pmIt looks so tassssty! This is what I will do tonight at the dinner! <3
Katrina Crandall
May 27, 2020 at 2:08 pmThis looks so delicious! I’ve never tried banana blossoms before and appreciate all the info about them. I bet I could experiment with this recipe to make a gluten free version!