banana blossom coleslaw

We've had the bananas for a few years and have enjoyed several bunches of fruit. The inside of the trunks are beautifully patterned and fantastic for printing, and we've used the leaves to line the steamer instead of using baking paper, but I hadn't used the flower. A friend had mentioned that the blossom was edible, but I wasn't really sure how to prepare it.

Recently the banana blossom was featured on a cooking show which re-ignited my interest to have a go at cooking with it as there was one forming in the front yard.

So I made a little starter of banana blossom coleslaw topped with a handful of prawns and a wedge of lime - yum.

I made the coleslaw by firstly removing the outer parts of the blossom to reveal the lighter softer section. The lighter sections were sliced finely and popped into the bowl filled with cold water and lime juice until I was ready to assemble the salad. Into another bowl, I placed a handful of finely sliced cabbage, one grated carrot, one grated radish and a handful of bean sprouts. 

I made the dressing by firstly mixing together a combination of sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, homemade raspberry vinegar, palm sugar and a dash of soy sauce. Amounts were adjusted according to preferred taste. At this point, I could have mixed this dressing through the salad ingredients but our pallets like the creamy textures. So I added small amounts of this mixture to mayonnaise until I had the taste and consistency that makes our taste buds dance. 

The dressing and a couple handfuls of the banana blossom were added to the bowl with the other ingredients and everything mixed together. Served in small bowls topped with a couple of prawns and a wedge of lime. Pleasantly surprised by how nice it was, we're looking forward to the next blossom.

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