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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
45 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Banana Flower Salad with Pork Serves 3
Banana flower 1 piece (banana blossom) Pork 500 gr Vietnamese balm 80 gr Roasted peanuts 50 gr Bird’s eye chili 3 pieces Garlic 7 cloves Lime 1 piece Common seasonings a little (salt/ sugar/ monosodium glutamate)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh pork
- You can use any part of the pork to make this banana blossom salad with pork; however, pork belly with a good balance of meat and fat will make the salad tastier.
- You need to observe the color and smell of the pork. Quality raw pork will have a light pink to bright red color, with no sour smell or oiliness. When cutting the meat, you will see the inside is dry, the fat is bright white, and it has a characteristic aroma.
- Fresh pork will have good elasticity. When you press your finger into the meat and release, it should not leave a dent. The meat fibers should be even, firm, and not mushy.
- Good pork will have a layer of fat about 1.5 – 2 cm thick, with the meat and fat tightly adhered to each other.
- Avoid choosing pork with dark fat, signs of crumbling or breaking down, or abnormal colors such as dark red with blackish hues, light green or dark spots, pale, etc. These types of pork are often spoiled, raised with lean meat enhancers, or treated with borax.
- Additionally, you should choose pork with a clear origin from reputable, quality sources such as supermarkets, fresh food stores, or order from e-commerce websites.
See details: How to choose fresh pork
How to choose fresh and delicious banana flowers
- You can use the type of banana flower that has seeds to make salads which have a sweet taste, less bitterness, brighter color, and are crunchier.
- You should choose young banana flowers that are not bruised or have lost their outer peel.
- Delicious banana flowers usually have dark red skins, look fresh, and are covered by a layer of white powder on the outside. When held, they feel heavy, and when gently squeezed, the skin has a certain firmness.
- Additionally, avoid choosing banana flowers that have unusual colors, are blackened on the outside, lack the white powder, or have a yellow-brown color when sliced, as they may have been stored for too long or treated with chemicals, which is not good for health.
See details: How to choose fresh and delicious banana flowers
How to Prepare Banana Blossom Salad with Pork
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Prepare the banana blossoms
When buying banana blossoms, remove the old outer petals and keep only the fresh, tender white petals inside, then cut them into pieces about 2 finger lengths long.
Next, soak them immediately in salt water and lemon juice for 20 – 25 minutes, then rinse 2 – 3 times with clean water and place them in a pot.
Add about 1 liter of water to the pot so that it just covers the banana blossoms and place it on the stove to boil over high heat for about 10 – 15 minutes until cooked, then rinse the banana blossoms with clean water.
Finally, tear the banana blossoms into small bite-sized pieces, carefully remove the flower’s heart to avoid toughness when eating, and then squeeze out excess water.
Note: Soaking banana blossoms in salt and lemon juice will help prevent them from browning, making them crisp and removing all the sap inside.
See more: How to cut banana blossoms (banana heart) without browning, keeping them crisp
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Prepare the pork
When you buy pork, to reduce the smell of the meat, you should rub a little salt directly onto the meat and rinse it 2 – 3 times with clean water. Then, place it in a pot and blanch it with boiling water for about 1 – 2 minutes, discarding that water.
Add about 500ml of clean water into the pot so that it just covers the meat, then boil the meat over high heat for about 20 – 30 minutes until cooked.
After boiling, rinse the pork with cold water to make it crisper, then cut the meat into bite-sized strips.
Tips for preparing to reduce the smell of pork:
- Method 1: Add a crushed shallot to the boiling water; the shallot will help eliminate the smell of the meat very effectively.
- Method 2: Add a little white wine to the boiling water before removing the meat.
See details: How to eliminate the smell of pork
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Prepare the other ingredients
Remove old leaves and tough stems of the Vietnamese coriander, take the fresh leaves and wash them with water, then drain in a basket.
Peel the garlic, remove the stems from the chili, wash them with water, then put the mixture into a mortar and pound it finely, or you can use a blender to blend it instead of pounding.
Roasted peanuts, peeled, then crushed.
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Mix the salad
Put the banana flower and the previously cut pork into a bowl, then add the seasonings including: 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons of monosodium glutamate, 1 teaspoon of salt, and the finely pounded garlic chili mixture and mix well.
Then, add the peanuts and Vietnamese coriander and stir well to let the mixture absorb the seasonings, adjust the seasoning to taste, and then serve on a plate to enjoy.
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Final product
Fragrant and rich banana flower, sweet and fatty pork combined with bold spices and a hint of mild spiciness create a crunchy and refreshing banana flower salad that is deliciously intoxicating. Dipping it with a bit of sweet and sour fish sauce truly makes it a wonderful dish to balance your family’s palate during meals.
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Hope the recipe for banana flower salad with pork with its crunchy texture, fragrant and rich banana flower, and the sweet and fatty pork combined with bold spices will help you create an attractive delicacy. Hurry to the kitchen to make this rustic dish and refresh your family’s menu!
