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Thai Banana Flower Salad
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Thai Banana Blossom Salad With Soft Pepper Tofu

Inspired by a meal at a longstanding vegetarian restaurant in Bangkok, this banana flower salad is designed to be served with rice and would also pair nicely with an additional dish such as a soup or curry.
Servings: 2 servings

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup fresh grated coconut
  • 120 millilitres coconut milk or coconut cream ½ cup
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable or coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon red curry paste see notes1
  • 4 teaspoons palm sugar 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon
  • 1 teaspoon Thai light/thin soy sauce see notes2
  • 1 heaped cup shredded banana blossom 55 grams
  • 2 teaspoons fresh finely chopped lemongrass
  • Vegetable oil for frying
  • 3 tablespoons potato starch 35 grams
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 5 ½ inch slices from a tube of soft tofu
  • 5 fresh makrut lime leaves
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh Southeast Asian herbs e.g. sawtooth coriander, Thai basil, spring onion
  • 2 teaspoons fried shallots See notes3
  • 2 teaspoons toasted crushed peanuts
  • Fresh lime wedges

Instructions

Make the dressed banana blossom

  • First you'll need to toast the coconut. Heat a nonstick pan to medium and add the fresh coconut. Stir constantly until it begins to dry out and the colour shifts to a toasty light brown or beige. Tip the coconut into a bowl to cool.
  • Next, make the coconut sauce for the salad. Add the coconut milk, oil, and curry paste to a medium saucepan. Heat to medium and simmer, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes. Add the palm sugar and soy sauce. Cook for another minute or so, just to dissolve the sugar.
  • Turn the heat down to low and tip the shredded banana flower, most of the coconut, and the lemongrass into the curry liquid. Stir to combine and cook on low heat for another 2-3 minutes.
  • Transfer the contents of the pan to a serving dish.

Fry the tofu

  • Mix the starch and pepper together on a plate and gently coat the tofu rounds.
  • Heat at least 3 inches of oil in a large wok or pan to medium high heat. Carefully add the tofu to the hot oil and fry for a couple of minutes, until the tofu is crispy and starting to brown. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on mesh or kitchen roll.
  • Turn the heat off and toss the makrut lime leaves into the oil, which will still be plenty hot. Fry for just a few seconds and then use the spider strainer to remove to the kitchen roll with the tofu.

To serve

  • Top the already plated banana blossom with the fried tofu and fried lime leaves. Sprinkle with herbs, fried shallot, peanut, and any remaining toasted coconut. Serve with fresh lime.

Notes

  1. You can use a storebought red curry paste or my red curry paste recipe.
  2. For an explanation of types of soy sauces used in Thai cooking, see my Thai soy sauce primer.
  3. You can buy fried shallots from shops, but they're flavourless compared to making your own.