If you have tasted a Filipino version of braised pork (humba), or paksiw na pata, then you must have tried eating dried banana blossoms. Dried banana blossoms are sometimes used as a substituted for lily blossoms in some Chinese dishes such as hot & sour soup.
In many areas of the country where there is a lot of banana plantations, most of banana blossoms are just thrown away; when in fact they can be processed and sold in the market. So what are they made of, and how to make them? They are made of the flowers “BLOSSOMS”, inside the puso ng saging. The procedure how to preserve them is below:
Ingredients:
1 tbsp sodium metabisulfite
4 c water
sugar, vinegar, soy sauce (to taste)
banana blossoms
Utensils:
measuring spoons/cups
colander
casserole
cheesecloth
stove
drying tray
Procedure:
1. Dissolve 1 tablespoon sodium metabisulfite in four cups water and boil the solution.
2. Strip apart banana blossoms, wrap in cheesecloth, and blanch in the boiling solution for 5 minutes. Drain using colander.
3. Mix equal quantities of sugar, vinegar and soy sauce and soak the blanched blossoms overnight in this mixture.
4. Drain, dry under the heat of the sun and pack in plastic bags.
Source: DOST, Photo courtesy of www.marketmanila.com, and www.pixieate.blogspot.com
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