Since I have a freshly picked banana blossom from our backyard my mother decided to cook it right away. Puso ng saging utan, as we call it or banana blossom boiled vegetable is one of our favorite things to cook. This vegetable dish is quick and easy to make.
First you have to peel and discard the outer, fibrous skin layers of banana heart until you reach the lighter, softer core. Chop or cut into fine strips.
Get a stick and twist it into the chopped banana blossom. The purpose for this is to find and get the sticky sap of the banana blossom.
Once it is in the stick discard it. Repeat the procedure several times until there is no more sticky sap.
Clean the chopped banana blossom and place in a bowl.
We also included veggies like malunggay (moringa) and alugbati (Malabar spinach) to make it more nutritious. If you like you can also add okra, squash and other veggies of your choice.
Boil 2 cups of water. Add the chopped banana blossom and ginger, continue to boil for 10 minutes. Add the alugbati, malunggay, and spring onion. Stir and add the fish. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add some salt and aji-no-moto to taste.
We enjoyed our viand last night.