Banana Blossom Salad with Roasted Peanuts

Why It Matters

The video preserves a traditional Thai technique and offers practical substitutions, making an authentic regional salad accessible to home cooks and restaurants lacking banana blossom. Its clear prep and dressing instructions can help chefs and food businesses expand menu variety with a distinctive, texture-rich dish.

Summary

Chef Ian Kittichai demonstrates how to make a Thai-style banana blossom salad at Cuisine Concept Kitchen in Bangkok, showing prep steps to remove bitter parts and prevent discoloration by soaking in salt and lemon water. He assembles a dressing of roasted chili paste, coconut milk, tamarind, lime, and fish sauce, then combines the sliced banana blossom with makrut leaves, heart of palm (or substitutes), toasted coconut, fried shallot, chili powder and plenty of roasted crushed peanuts for texture. The recipe emphasizes removing the red, bitter “banana babies,” and offers alternatives like heart of palm, green beans, or cabbage if banana blossom is unavailable. The final dish is garnished with edible flowers and fresh chilies and delivers a balance of spicy, sour and nutty flavors.

Original Description

Banana blossoms don't taste like bananas. They have a mild, slightly sweet, and sometimes nutty flavor, and can be eaten raw or cooked. Chef Ian Kittichai at Cuisine Concepts Kitchen in Bangkok, Thailand, shows us how to make a Thai banana blossom salad topped with chopped peanuts and shredded coconut.

Watch the full series at: https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/southeast-asia

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