Banana Flowers or Banana Blossoms are a very common ingredient that is used in Asian cuisine and other tropical regions. They are mostly used as a vegetable in curries, stir fry, snacks, and salads in most of the Asian countries. It has got multiple medicinal properties that make it a super-food with surprising health benefits. Banana Flowers are usually made with chicken, pigeon meat, quail, or prawns in Northeast India. Here is one recipe of this tropical floret made with chicken commonly prepared in every Assamese household. Apart from the outstanding health benefits, the dish is simply delicious and ideal to compliment any occasion. Check this out!

Raw Ingredients:
Chicken: 500-600 gms (Marinate with salt and turmeric)
Banana Blossom: 1 (See Step 1 below to clean it up)
Potatoes: 2 medium-sized (cut in cubes)
Onion: 1 large-sized (chopped)
Ginger: 1 inch
Garlic: 10-12 cloves
Green chillies: 4-5 

Spices & Oil:
Turmeric powder: 1 tablespoon
Curry masala: 1 tablespoon
Red chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
Bay leaves: 2
Salt: as per taste
Mustard oil: 3-4 tablespoons
Cinnamon: Half of an inch

Preparation: 45 minutes to 1 hour. Serves four persons.

Step 1: Follow the below steps to clean the banana flower. Remove the bracts (purple leaves) and take out the florets attached to it. Pluck the pistil and the scale. The pistil is the tough matchstick shaped part and scale is the outermost transparent petal that is also called a calyx. Once you reach the off white colour heart-shaped part after peeling the dark bracts the florets will become smaller and tender. At this stage just cut off the conical stem and slice the remaining part and finely chop it including the florets that are taken out before. Soak the chopped banana flowers in salted water and keep it aside.

Step 2: Heat a wok and add mustard oil. Once the oil is hot enough add chopped onion and bay leaves. Fry the onion until it turns brown and then add the chicken pieces. Keep stirring and fry all sides of the chicken pieces properly for about 5-8 minutes.

Step 3: In a mortar, grind ginger, garlic, and green chillies together to make a paste. Now add this paste into the chicken and saute for 5 minutes in medium heat. Add the dry spices (turmeric powder, curry masala, red chilli powder), potatoes, and salt as per taste. I have used a homemade curry masala (a mixture of cumin, coriander and fennel seeds). Saute it for 3-5 minutes, add a little water if needed to avoid burning.

Step 4: Once the spices are mixed with the chicken and potatoes add the chopped banana flowers into it. Don’t forget to strain the water and squeeze out excess water properly before adding it to the cooking. Roughly grind the cinnamon stick and add it into the wok. Stir it for another 5-8 minutes and add about 350-400 ml water for cooking. Cover it and let it simmer in low flame for the next 30-45 minutes. Once the water is dried, saute it for 2-3 minutes in medium flame and turn the gas off.

Serve hot with steamed rice along with some side dishes like lentil soup and salads or with chapattis.

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