BANANA BLOSSOM SALAD

facebook share image   twitter share image   pinterest share image   E-Mail share image



Banana Blossom Salad image

Unlike the purple bulb banana blossom from Hawaii, Mexico and South America that is available and used in the USA, Chef Khai remembers the lovely white, tender banana blossoms he enjoyed in Vietnam. To julienne the banana blossoms, Chef Khai uses the thinnest setting on a Japanese mandolin. It is important to soak the strips in a large bowl of cold water with white vinegar to prevent discoloration.

Provided by Food Network

Categories     main-dish

Time 10m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 16

2 small banana blossoms, or 4 cups well-packed finely julienned banana blossom strips
2 tablespoons white vinegar
4 tablespoons White Vinaigrette, recipe follows
2 cups shredded, poached chicken breast
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 ruby red grapefruit, sectioned and each segment torn into thirds, optional
2 teaspoons chopped rau rum (Vietnamese mint), or regular mint
6 tablespoons chili fish sauce
4 tablespoons crispy shallot flakes
4 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water

Steps:

  • Peel off and discard the tough, old outer layers (called bracts) of the banana blossom. Use a Japanese mandolin with the thinnest setting and cut into fine julienne strips; immediately plunge into large bowl of cold water and the white vinegar. When ready to prepare the salad, remove the julienne strips and shake off the tiny white buds (chopped up baby buds). Rinse and drain. Squeeze dry of the excess water. Place 4 cups well-packed strips into a bowl. Add the White Vinaigrette and toss for a few seconds. Pour off the excess liquid.
  • In a separate bowl, toss the shredded chicken with salt, pepper, and lime juice. Add the grapefruit, rau rum, and chili fish sauce and mix together thoroughly.
  • To serve, mound the salad equally onto 4 separate plates. Top each salad with 1 tablespoon crispy shallot flakes and 1 tablespoon chopped peanuts. Serve immediately.
  • Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Set aside.

There are no comments yet!