difficulty
Easy
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 1 banana blossom
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- vegetable oil, for deep frying
- 250 g potato starch
- 1 sheet tofu skin, sliced into 2 cm lengths
- 1 handful bean sprouts, roots plucked
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp fried Asian shallots
- 1 handful plucked Vietnamese mint
- 1 long chilli, julienned
Dressing
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp warm water
- 3 tsp pineapple juice
- 1 birdseye chilli, finely sliced
Instructions
To make the dressing, combine all ingredients and mix well. Set aside.
Peel the outer purple layer of the banana blossom until you reach the heart of the blossom, which should be opaque in colour.
Reserve one purple leaf along with the small young, undeveloped baby bananas.
Begin to slice the opaque banana blossom, transferring it into a bowl of water mixed with a tablespoon of vinegar, to stop the sliced blossom from discolouring. Soak and drain.
Add the deep-frying oil into a wok or deep-fry pan and bring to 160°C.
Dust each baby banana with potato starch and flash fry until crisp. Transfer to kitchen paper.
Once completed, flash fry the tofu skin until crisp and transfer to kitchen paper.
In a mixing bowl, add sliced banana blossom, bean sprout, fried baby banana, fried tofu skin (reserving a little to garnish), sesame seeds, fried shallots, Vietnamese mint and 3 tablespoons of the soy dressing. Toss well.
Place the reserved purple leaf into a serving bowl with the pointy end sticking out.
Transfer the salad onto the leaf. Garnish with more tofu skin and chilli.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
