10 Heavenly Banana Flower Recipes To Try Out Today


Did you ever include banana flower in your diet? If you haven’t, do you know what you had been missing out? Banana flower is an ingredient that is full of nutrients. And when you add it to your dish, it enhances the taste multifold!
So, if you are looking forward to knowing how to make delicious dishes using banana flower, here you go! This post talks about the top banana flower recipes. Read on!

1. Banana Blossom Salad:


This is a special five-star hotel recipe generally served in tropical countries. Although the preparation takes more time, the end result is fantastic and you will simply love to finish off this banana blossom salad once you start eating it.
Ingredients:
  • 2 tbsp white vinegar
  • 2 small banana blossoms
  • 2 cups chicken breast, shredded and poached
  • 4 tbsp White Vinaigrette
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 ruby-red grapefruit, segmented and sectioned
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • 2 tsp lime juice, freshly squeezed
  • 2 tsp chopped rau rum
  • 4 tbsp peanuts, roasted and chopped
  • 4 tbsp crispy flakes of shallot
  • 6 tbsp chili fish sauce
Method:
  1. Peel off the banana blossom’s outer layers.
  2. Cut the blossom using Japanese mandolin on a thinnest setting into fine julienne strips.
  3. Take a large bowl and add cold water and white vinegar.
  4. Immediately plunge the julienne strips into the water.
  5. At the time of preparation of the salad, remove the strips from the water and shake the tiny white colored buds.
  6. Rinse and drain properly.
  7. Ensure that the strips are completely dry by squeezing them.
  8. Take 4 cups of such strips and put them in a bowl.
  9. Add white vinaigrette and toss the strips in it for few seconds.
  10. Drain off the excess liquid.
  11. Take a separate bowl and toss shredded chicken, lime juice, pepper and salt.
  12. Add the strips, chili fish sauce, grapefruit and rau rum and mix these ingredients thoroughly.
  13. Before serving, place the salad in 4 separate plates.
  14. Top the salad in each plate with crispy shallot flakes and chopped peanuts.

2. Banana Flower Curry:


Banana flower or Vazhaipoo flower curry carries all the flavors of the tropic. You can enjoy this curry with steamed or boiled rice or simply with bread or chapatti. Cleaning a banana is time-consuming. However, the flavors of this curry make you forget all the efforts that you put into its making.
Ingredients:
  • 3 cups banana florets, cleaned and chopped
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • ¼ cup grated coconut
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tsp oil
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • ¾ tsp split urad dal (black grams)
  • ¼ asafetida
  • 3 red chilies
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
Method:
  1. First, clean the banana flower and then chop it finely.
  2. Keep the chopped flower strips in diluted buttermilk to retain its color.
  3. Rinse and drain just before cooking.
  4. In a pressure cooker cook along with salt, turmeric powder and water till you get 3 whistles.
  5. Take a pan and heat oil in it.
  6. Add mustard seeds and let it splutter.
  7. Add red chili, urad dal, curry leaves, asafetida, and sauté until the urad dal becomes golden brown.
  8. Add chopped onions and sauté until they turn transparent.
  9. Drain the cooked banana flowers and add to this seasoning in the pan.
  10. Add salt as required.
  11. Add the grated coconut and mix.
  12. Serve this curry with steamed rice.

3. Australian Banana Flower Salad:


Banana flower is packed with loads of sodium, protein and energy and hence a salad made from this flower provides you with lots of essential nutrients required by your body. Easy to make, this Australian delicacy brings a refreshing twist to your lunch or dinner.
Ingredients:
  • 500 gm or 1 banana blossom
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 2 tsp oil
  • 1 tbsp ginger, shredded
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed
  • 500 g lean stick of rump, finely sliced
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce, low salt version
  • 3 tbsp coriander leaves
  • 3 tbsp mint leaves
  • 2 red chilies, seeded and chopped
Method:
  1. First, discard the dark and tough outer leaves of the banana flower.
  2. Finely shred the flower.
  3. Take a frying pan or wok and heat oil over high heat.
  4. Add chili, garlic and ginger, onion and sauté until they turn golden brown.
  5. Add the shredded banana flower and let it cook for 10 minutes.
  6. Add beef to the pan once the banana flower has become tender and cook for around 5 minutes without covering.
  7. Add lime juice and soy sauce and mix well.
  8. Toss coriander and mint leaves and serve.

4. Chicken And Banana Blossom Salad:


This is a very unusual salad and uses chicken, banana blossoms, roasted peanuts, vegetables, and herbs. The recipe is quite common in Eastern Asian countries as banana blossoms are easily available in the Asian markets. This recipe is a really good combination of chicken and banana flower.
Ingredients:
  • 1 banana blossom
  • 4-cup water
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • 1 large whole chicken breast
  • 1 pack of mint leaves, loosely packed
  • ½ pound, green grams sprouts (mung sprouts)
  • ½ cup basil leaves, loosely packed
  • ½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup Tuk Trey Salad Dressing
  • ½ cup peanuts, roasted and grounded coarsely
Method:
  1. Take a large bowl and fill it with water.
  2. Add lemon juice and keep it aside.
  3. Discard the outer leaves of the banana flower and cut the layers of the leaves or the florets into strips of ¼ inch width.
  4. Keep the strips in the water with lemon juice to prevent them from turning black.
  5. Take a medium saucepan and add four cups of water.
  6. Bring it to boil and add chicken breast.
  7. Boil again on low heat and let it simmer for around 10 minutes until the chicken breast has become soft.
  8. Take out the chicken breast from the pan, drain and let it cool slightly.
  9. Shred the chicken breast delicately with your fingers.
  10. Take a large salad bowl and add all the vegetables and herbs.
  11. Add shredded chicken, Tuk Trey Salad dressing and the banana flower stripes.
  12. Garnish with roasted and ground peanuts and serve immediately.

5. Vegan Banana Blossom Stir-Fry:


Banana flowers are rich in vitamins C, A and fiber. Although the taste resembles leeks, their crunch and flavor comes out when they are cooked with hot, Indian spices along with grated coconut. Here is a stir-fry recipe that is healthy as well as delicious.
Ingredients:
  • 1 banana flower, cleaned, chopped into small strips or pieces
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 2 tsp oil
  • 1 tsp split black gram
  • ¼ asafetida, powdered
  • 1 tsp split Bengal gram
  • 2 red chilies, dried
  • A sprig of curry leaves
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • 3 tbsp coconut, grated
  • Salt to taste
Method:
  1. Take a saucepan and place water, turmeric powder and chopped banana flower in it.
  2. Bring the water to boil.
  3. Reduce the flame to medium or low and continue cooking for another 3 minutes.
  4. Drain the chopped banana flower and keep aside.
  5. Take a pan and heat oil in it.
  6. Add mustard seeds and let it splutter.
  7. Add black gram and cook until it becomes reddish-brown.
  8. Add Bengal gram and cook for a few minutes.
  9. Add asafetida, curry leaves, and cook for around half a minute.
  10. Add salt and banana flower and cook over medium heat until dry.
  11. Lastly add the grated coconut and cook again for 3 minutes.
  12. Serve hot with steamed or boiled rice.

6. South Indian Banana Flower Dry Curry:


Banana blossoms have a bitter taste, but the bitterness is covered well when South Indian spices are added to the recipe. This special South Indian dry curry has all the flavors of spices, fresh coconut and banana flower blended into one to give you a delicious accompaniment to your meal.
Ingredients:
  • 2 banana blossoms
  • 1 lemon, freshly squeezed
  • 2 tbsp oil, preferably vegetable oil
  • 2 large onions, finely sliced
  • 2 tbsp mustard seeds
  • 1 red chili, dried and crushed
  • 1 sprig of curry leaves
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • 3 cm piece ginger, grated
  • ½ cup coconut cream, settled
  • 1 cup fresh coconut, grated
  • Naan, mango chutney and steamed rice to serve
Method:
Remove the thick, dark, purple-colored leaves of the banana blossom and the flower cluster and chop the inner bracts of the blossom finely.
  1. Take a bowl and fill it with 2 liters of water.
  2. Add 1 tbsp salt, lemon juice.
  3. Put the coarsely chopped banana blossom into this water to prevent them from getting brown.
  4. Take a frying pan and heat oil over medium heat.
  5. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
  6. Add chili, curry leaves, onions, turmeric, ginger and cook for 5 minutes by stirring in between.
  7. Remove from the heat once the onions turn golden brown.
  8. Drain the banana blossoms.
  9. Put the pan again on medium heat, add grated coconut, coconut cream and banana blossom, and let it cook until the color of banana has changed.
  10. Serve hot with chutneys, naan and rice.

7. Vazhaipoo (Banana Flower) Podimas:


Spices and nuts make this dish flavorful and crunchy. And the grated coconut and banana flower strips provide texture so that every bite of podimas is full of varying flavors. Although the preparation is traditionally Indian, you still can enjoy a twist due to the presence of peanuts and cashew nuts.
Ingredients:
  • ¼ cup buttermilk
  • 1 banana floret (approx. 2 cups)
  • 1 big onion
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1 tbsp coconut, grated
  • Turmeric powder, one big pinch
  • 3 tsp oil
  • ½ inch ginger
  • Salt to taste
Roasted Spices:
  • 10 to 15 cashews
  • ½ tbsp peanuts
  • 2 cloves
  • ½-inch cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
Method:
  1. Clean and chop the banana flower finely and soak in the buttermilk to avoid losing color.
  2. Dry roast the ingredients for roasting until golden brown.
  3. Cool the roasted spices and nuts and grind to a fine semi powder in a mixer.
  4. Set this powder aside.
  5. Take a pan and heat oil.
  6. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
  7. Add curry leaves, ginger garlic paste, onion, and sauté until the onion turns golden brown.
  8. Add red chili powder, salt, turmeric powder and stir.
  9. Drain the banana blossom and add to the pan.
  10. Mix well, cover it with a lid and cook until all the veggies are tender.
  11. Once the whole mixture is dry, add the roasted powder of nuts and spices and stir quickly.
  12. Continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
  13. Lastly add coconut and turn off the heat.
  14. Serve hot with sambar and rice.

8. Banana Flower Thai Salad:


This is a typical Thai salad and is quite an elaborate one with lots of ingredients such as prawns, pork, nuts, shallot and shrimps along with banana flower, which is the main ingredient. The combination of tamarind juice and chili sauce gives a hot and tangy flavor.
Ingredients:
  • 1 banana flower
  • 4 cup water
  • 100 g pork, minced
  • 4 tsp tamarind juice
  • 4 prawns, peeled and deveined
  • 2 tsp chili jam
  • ½ cup stock water
  • 2 tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tsp palm sugar
  • 5 chilies (bird’s eye), thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp dried shrimps, ground
  • 2 tbsp cashews/peanuts, crushed
  • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced and fried golden brown
  • 4 tbsp shallot, thinly sliced, fried golden brown
  • 1 red chili, finely shred and soaked in cold water
  • Small handful of coriander
Method:
  1. Mix tamarind juice and water and soak the finely chopped banana flower in it to prevent discoloration.
  2. This also helps to remove the stickiness and tart taste that comes with the banana flower.
  3. Drain the banana flower after 10 minutes.
  4. Take a wok and add stock to it.
  5. Boil the stock and add minced pork, stirring for 1 minute continuously.
  6. Add prawns and stir for one minute again. Keep it aside.
  7. Take a bowl and put coriander leaves, shredded red chili, shallots, dried shrimps, garlic, prawns, pork, banana flower and cashews in it.
  8. Mix well.
  9. Garnish with shredded chili, coriander, garlic and shallot.

9. Kolar Mocha (Banana Flower Bengali Recipe):


This is a special Indian Bengali recipe also known as Banana flower mash. It is considered extremely healthy in Bengal and is very rich in iron. You can serve it with plain rice or even with a chapatti.
Ingredients:
  • 1 banana flower, chopped into small pieces
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • Water as required
  • ½ tsp cumin paste
  • 1 tbsp onion paste
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp red chili powder
  • 4 to 5 green chilies
  • 2 to 3 cinnamon sticks
Method:
  1. Boil the chopped banana flowers in water.
  2. Drain and let them cool.
  3. Blend the boiled flower petals in mixer to make a soft paste. You can use sheel pata to grind into a soft paste.
  4. Take a pan and add oil.
  5. Add cumin paste, bay leaves, onion, turmeric powder, red chili, cinnamon sticks, salt, and fry in the pan.
  6. Mix well and add the paste of banana flower.
  7. Add ½ cup of water and stir properly.
  8. Cook with covered lid for around 20 minutes.
  9. Keep on stirring in between and cook for 20 minutes more after taking the lid off.
  10. Sprinkle green chilies and cook until the whole mixture is dry and the oil floats on the top.
  11. Serve with steamed plain white rice.

10. Sri Lankan Banana Blossom Cutlets:


Banana flower is used to cook vegetable and curries. But many of you will be surprised to know that these flowers blend well when used in snacks such as cutlets. Here is a recipe that is spicy and tangy, exactly the way you want your mid-day or evening snacks to taste.
Ingredients:
  • 1 Banana blossom
  • 1 tbsp garlic-ginger paste
  • 3 Goraka pieces or freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 big onion, finely chopped
  • ½ lb potatoes
  • 4 to 5 curry leaves
  • ½ bottle frying oil
  • 3 green chilies, finely chopped
  • ¼ lb flour
  • ¼ lb bread crumbs
  • Pepper and salt as required
Method:
  1. Cut the banana flower into pieces and boil in the pressure cooker with goraka or limejuice and salt.
  2. Drain and grind it into soft paste using a blender.
  3. Boil potatoes, peel them off and mash.
  4. Add pepper and salt to the potato mash.
  5. Heat 1 to 2 tbsp oil in the pan.
  6. Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté until golden brown.
  7. Add green chilies, chopped onion, curry leaves, salt and sauté.
  8. Add chili powder after the seasoning has become tender.
  9. Add cooked banana flower and mix.
  10. Add the mashed potato and mix well.
  11. Mix bread crumbs to give more crunch and texture to the cutlet.
  12. To make the batter, mix salt, flour, and add water.
  13. Make a thin batter.
  14. Make round or oval shaped cutlet balls of the mixture.
  15. Coat the cutlets first with the batter and then with the breadcrumbs.
  16. Deep fry in oil and serve hot with chili and tomato sauce.
Try out these amazing banana flower recipes today! And if you know any other similarly appetizing recipes, share with us! There is a comment box below!