Banana Blossom / Flower: the rusty purplish-crimson-coloured buds that contain the sterile male flowers of the banana plant. The flower is borne at the end of the stem holding bunches of the developed [without fertilization] banana fruit. The long, slender, sterile male flowers with a faint sweet fragrance are lined up in tidy rows and protected by large reddish bracts.

The banana bud is normally harvested just after the banana fruits have formed. It is prepared and eaten as a vegetable around Asia — from Burma to Thailand and has an astringently sappy taste, but when prepared properly, it is slightly creamily bitter. The cooking bananas, such as the plantain variety, produce the best buds. They have the best flavour and texture.

In the Philippines, it is commonly known as bulaklak ng saging [ Tagalog ] which literally means banana blossom. Some refer to it as puso ng saging or banana heart, probably because it is reddish in colour and sort of heart-shaped.

We can’t really say that it is the heart of the banana because the heart of the banana could also mean the inner pith or core of the banana trunk [ towards the head or tree top part ], white and tender, which when cooked with coconut milk, chicken and fresh basil leaves, is another dish to be discovered and enjoyed. “Discovered” because in Aklan province, the head or banana tree top is considered a gastronomic treat, savoured in a local specialty called manok nga inubaran or chicken with banana tree top. Not sure if manok nga inubaran is popular throughout the Philippines.

Going back to puso ng saging, the bloom itself is used as a spice, especially when dried, in many Chinese dishes, as well as Filipino dishes like paksiw na pata ng baboy [pork knuckle stew]. The whole puso when sliced thinly crosswise is the main ingredient of ginataang puso ng saging. It is nothing but the puso cooked in coconut milk with shrimps or dried fish flakes added.

For the second entry in my Luto ni Nanay [ Mom’s cooking ] cooking series, mother and I worked together [ well, I worked mainly on the styling . . . tee hee . . . ] on this vegetable dish I haven’t had for ages. There’s one or more to follow using this rather exotic ingredient . . . Banana Blossom.

GINITTAAN NGA SABUNGANAY [ Ilocano ]
GINATAANG BULAKLAK AT PUSO NG SAGING [ Tagalog ]
BANANA BLOSSOMS IN COCONUT MILK

Ingredients:

3 Banana Blossoms
1 cup fresh Coconut Milk
½ cup small Shrimps
1 tbsp White Vinegar
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
1 Onion, chopped
2 Red Chilies [siling labuyo], chopped
Cooking oil
Patis or salt to taste

Preparation:

Preparing the main ingredient is quite tedious I would say. It became more tedious this time what with the step-by-step photo documentation of the process.

Remove the tough cover [ or bract ] of the blossom and discard it. Remove, set aside and work on the undeveloped “baby” bananas layer by layer, until the inner pale and creamy-yellowish bud is revealed. [ See fourth photograph below. ]

Remove the hard stamen from the banana blossoms by chopping off the tops using an oiled, blunt-edged knife or kitchen scissors. Note that it is recommended to wear disposable plastic gloves to prevent the sap from sticking on to your hands.

Banana blossoms with the tops still intact [ left ], and with the stamen removed [ bottom corner, right.

Banana blossom bud [left] and topped banana blossoms [ right ].

Chop the blossoms after removing tops and stamen. Soak in water with salt and/or lime juice to prevent discolouring or browning.

Slice / quarter the remaining bud lengthwise on four sides.

Chop the bud and soak in salted and acidulated water to prevent discolouring or browning.

Remove salted and acidulated water from the bowl. Add salt to the chopped bud and blossoms and squeeze off bitter sap. Rinse with water and squeeze dry. Set aside.

Cooking Method:

Heat oil in skillet and saute garlic until light brown. Add onions, chilies, small shrimps and cook for about 3 minutes.

Add banana blossoms and vinegar and bring to a boil without stirring. Simmer for another 3 minutes.

Add patis or salt to taste and stir. Continue cooking until banana blossoms and bud are tender.

Add fresh coconut milk, simmer for a few more minutes until milk thickens.

Present it on a dish . . .

Or on banana blossom bracts . . .