Sonya Holm's banana blossom and chips. Photo / Sonya Holm
Sonya Holm's banana blossom and chips. Photo / Sonya Holm
Opinion by Sonya Holm
OPINION:
Crunchy, tangy, squishy or sweet, the familiarity of foods can bring comfort as well as nutrients.
A lingering memory is the first time I experienced the soft, sweet, melting moment of fresh mango.
I have strong flavour memories: that first mango, discovering garlic on holiday, and eating olives afterleaving New Zealand on my big OE.
So it was full-on Fomo – worried I might miss tastes and textures to form future memory moments – that led to the decision to eat banana blossom for dinner.
Aubergine, pak choy, dragonfruit, taro, lemongrass and jackfruit.
I have eaten some of these, but I’m not sure where to start with others – what end to cut and what to keep. I probably only know how to cook 75 per cent of the veggies in my local shop.
Spices, vegetables and cooking methods are closely connected to cultural identity, with banana blossoms eaten in Asia.
A quick internet search confirmed that curry can contain banana blossom, but coming from a country that (according to Wikipedia) has the meat pie as our national dish, I chose to make “fish” and chips.
Banana blossoms are edible flowers that grow under banana bunches. Photo / Sonya Holm
The banana blossom was drained from the tin, coated in flour, dipped in batter, then thrown into a hot wok. It started to look the part, definitely more battered fish than flower.
It has the flaky soft texture of artichoke, but treat it like fish and it starts to act like one, minus the smell.
A layer of homemade chips made the bed for the “fish”, which was very similar in texture and taste to the fish and chip shop variety. Tartare and tomato sauces provided the most flavour.
Typically, I had forgotten a vital ingredient. Despite reading the recipe several times, I didn’t notice it needed crushed nori (seaweed). Had I opened my eyes earlier, it may have had a stronger fishy flavour.
So, convinced it would be a failure, or at best, not very filling, I made feijoa and apple crumble for dessert which, big apologies to the crumble, went uneaten.
I said to my incredulous husband, “You could get kids to eat this.”
“If you didn’t tell them, they wouldn’t know,” he said, followed by: “It’s one of those trick foods.”
Definitely a new memory moment.
As it says on the tin - banana blossom is a great fish substitute. Photo / Sonya Holm
The tin of banana blossom cost $2.95 from Davis Trading and is described by some as a “superfood” for its nutrients and antioxidants.
Today, we launch a new Manawatū Guardian series that will explore fruit and vegetables you might have seen but haven’t eaten.
I’ll be talking to locals willing to share their tips, tricks and recipes for their favourite fruit or vegetable.
If there is something you don’t know how to cook, or you have a favourite recipe you would love to share, please email me at manawatuguardian@nzme.co.nz.
