Description
Laguna-style banana blossoms cooked in smoky toasted coconut milk with vinegar, garlic and chillies for a rich, tangy Filipino dish.
Ingredients
Units Scale
- 500 g cooked or canned banana blossoms, drained and shredded
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
- 600 ml coconut milk
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 thumb-sized piece ginger, julienned
- 2 tbsp cane vinegar
- 1 to 2 long green chillies, sliced or left whole
- 1 red chilli, sliced, optional
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Fresh coriander, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C. Spread the desiccated coconut evenly over a baking tray and toast it until it becomes a deep brown colour. Stir it several times during roasting so it colours evenly. Keep a close eye on it towards the end because coconut can go from toasted to burnt very quickly.
- Remove the coconut from the oven and place it in a bowl. Pour over the coconut milk and leave it to soak for around 30 minutes (if you have time soak it overnight). This allows the coconut milk to absorb the smoky, roasted flavour from the toasted coconut.
- After soaking, pour the mixture through a muslin cloth into a bowl. Squeeze the cloth tightly to extract all the flavorful liquid, then set the coconut milk aside in a clean bowl.
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened, then add the garlic and ginger. Continue cooking until fragrant.
- Add the shredded banana blossoms and cook for several minutes, stirring them through the aromatics.
- Pour in the toasted coconut milk. Add the green chillies, then bring everything to a gentle simmer.
- Lower the heat and cook uncovered for around 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow the sauce to reduce until it becomes rich and creamy and thoroughly coats the banana blossoms.
- Pour in the vinegar. Do not stir immediately. Let it simmer for around two minutes before mixing it through the dish. Continue cooking for another five minutes.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the red chilli if you want additional heat.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with fresh coriander if desired. Serve hot with plenty of freshly steamed rice.