Banana Flower Boat Salad

Sometimes I like to buy things that I have never cooked with and may not even know what they are. This was one of those occasions. After I bought this flower bud in the Fruit and Veg Market in Male, (Maldives), I put a picture of it on a cooking related facebook group What Sha Cooking? and ask for help. Once I learned what this flower is, it was easy to create a recipe for it, and I am pretty happy with the Result, as well as the fact that another cooking mystery has been solved.

Ingredients:

1 Banana Flower

1 small red Onion, sliced thinly

1 handful Basil Leaves

1 handful Mint Leaves

Dressing:

3 Birds Eye Chillies

1 tbs Rice Vinegar

1 tbs Fish Sauce

1 tsp Palm Sugar

Marinate:

1 Sirloin Steak into cubes 

2 tsp Soy Sauce

1 tsp Fish Sauce

1 tsp Honey

1 tsp Ground Pepper

1 tsp Hot Pepper Sauce

1 Garlic Clove, minced

Prepare the Banana Flower by pulling off the outer leafes and reserving them to use as 'Boats'.

Into a large bowl add the juice of 1 Lemon and 1 tsp Sea Salt. This will help prevent the Banana Flower from oxydising (going black)

Peel back layer by layer and discard the stamens (the baby bananas) under each leaf.

Shred the Banana Flower Petals finely and drop them into the Lemon Water. Leave to steep for 10 minutes.

Then drain and combine with the Onions and the dressing. Just before serving mix in the Basil and Mint leaves.

Drain the marinade off the Beef and reserve. Stir fry the Beef in a searingly hot Wok for a couple of minutes to leave them medium rare in the middle. Add the reserved marinade and toss it together with the Beef.

Rest them in a bowl for a few minutes.

Place the Salad into the 'Boats' and nestle a couple of pieces of Beef on top of each one.

This will make a fabulous Appetiser for a dinner Party, but I'm enjoying them just as much right here right now and I am very pleased with my new discovery .