VIETNAMESE BANANA FLOWER SALAD / KERABU JANTUNG PISANG VIETNAM / GOI BAP CHUOI CHAY

If you have been following food around the region you will notice that we tend to use the same ingredients with different style of preparations. This banana blossom is one of the favorite ingredients used among the South East Asian .Each country has it's own style. I used to eat this banana blossom salad the Malay ways using coconut milk and sambal. I was quite excited when I saw this on TV, a caucasian lady demonstrated the steps in making the salad. Well to me if the westerner love this, it must be good and I should give a go for this dish.

Gỏi bắp chuối chay literally means vegetarian banana flower salad in Vietnamese. It's a popular dish in the Buddhist community.This is a dish that is not only exotic but tasty as well. You might not make it every day, but it's definitely something you should try.

The recipe calls for several combinations, some of the popular combinations are young papaya, star fruits,

This salad can be accompanied by sticky rice.

Banana Blossom Salad

• 1 banana flower blossom, about 1 lb (finely sliced green cabbage may be substituted)/ 1 kuntum jantung pisang dihiris membulat
• 2 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar / 2 sdb jus lemon atau cuka
• 2 Starfruits, cut into fine strips/ 2 biji belimbing dihiris memanjang100 g cooked chicken breast meat, cut into fine strips / 100 g isi ayam dihiris memanjang
• 6 Tbsp ginger, peeled and cut into fine strips / 6 sdb halia dihiris memanjang
• 1/2 cup Rau Ram (Vietnamese coriander) or regular mint, loosely packed and thinly sliced/ 1/2  cawan daun kesum dirampai halus
• 2 onion chopped / 2 biji bawang besar dihiris halus7 bird's eyes chilies, finely chopped / 7 biji cili padi dihiris halus
• 1/4 cup peanuts, ground and toasted, for garnish / 1/4 cawan kacang tanah digoreng tanpa minyak
• shallot rings, fried, for garnish / bawang goreng
• 
  
• Salad dressing
• 2 Tbsp mint / 2 sdb daun pudina
• 2 Tbsp cilantro / 2 sdb daun ketumbar
• 1 Tbsp lemongrass, finely minced / 1 sdb serai dihiris halus 
• 1 ginger torch chopped/ 1 kuntum bunga kantan dihiris halus
• 1 Tbsp garlic, chopped / 1 sdb bawang putih dicincang halus
• 3 Tbsp light corn syrup/ 3 sdb sirap atau gula
• 3 Tbsp fish sauce / 3 sdb sos ikan 
• 1/3 cup lime juice / 1/3 cawan jus limau
• 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar / 1/4 cawan cuka

Preparation

Place all salad dressing ingredients into a blender and mix until sugar is dissolved; set aside./ Satukan semua ahan dressing dalam blender dan blend sehingga gula hancur

Remove the 4 outer leaves of the banana blossom to use as a garnish; cut off the bottom core and the tip./ Keluarkan 4 lapisan pertama kulit jantung pisang dan potong tangkai dan hujungnya

Using a sharp knife, start at the top of the blossom and slice  into the thinnest possible rings./ Gunakan pisau yang tajam dan hiris jantung pisang membulat

As you move down, you will eventually encounter what looks like tiny bananas; remove all the leaves and discard the baby banana pieces.

Stack the leaves, roll them into a cylinder, and continue slicing.

Place the blossom shreds into a bowl of cold water and add the 2 Tbsp of lemon juice or white vinegar to prevent the leaves from turning brown./ Masukkan dalam mangkuk dan letakkan 2 sdb jus lemon atau cuka ini untuk mengelak dari lebam

Blanch till cook/ Celur sehingga lembut.

Drain and rinse once, but keep in water until ready to use; drain again when ready to use.

Once you have prepared the banana blossoms, place chicken in a bowl and add half the dressing; set aside to marinate for 20 minutes. / Masukkan ayam dan separuh dari dressing.

In a large bowl, add the banana blossom shreds, chicken, and remaining salad ingredients, including the remaining salad dressing. Toss thoroughly and arrange on the reserved outer banana blossom leaves; garnish with ground peanuts and fried shallots; serve immediately/ Satukan semua bahan dan dressing. Gaul rata dan adjust rasa. Taburkan bawang goreng, kacang dan daun ketumbar.

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Satu yang menarik mengenai makanan di rantau ini ialah kita mempunyai banyak persamaan dengan jiran tertangga kita. Biasanya bahan-bahan atau ramuan yang digunakan adalah sama, cuma yang membezakan masakan kita dengan jiran kita yang lain ialah cara penyediaanya sahaja. Kerabu Jantung Pisang ini adalah salah satu dari sajian yang terdapat dikebanyakan negeri di rantau, Malaysia, Thai, Indonesia, Vientnam mahupun Filipina masing-masing mempunyai resipi kerabu jantung pisang. Cukup menarik dan masing-masing mempunyai keistimewaannya yang tersendiri. 

Kerabu Jantung pisang kita menggunakan santan dan sambal sebagai dressingnya tetapi kerabu jantung pisang Vietname mahupun Thai menggunakan sos ikan dan jus limau yang mengibangkan rasa masam, manis dan pedas. Kerabu Jantung Pisang ini cukup popular di Vietnam terutama dikalangan masyarakat Buddha yang tidak boleh makan daging.

Terus-terang saya katakan kerabu ini sedap diratah begitu aje. Untuk resipi ini saya masukkan belimbing muda, anda boleh juga campurkan jantung pisang ini dengan papaya muda.

Next Post - Sotong Masak Hitam

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