Just wanted to post real quick before bed!
Brian and I were in this absolutely tiny but stuffed to the ceiling with items Asian store and we were in search of Jackfruit in brine, not in syrup. The guy at the counter said they sell out of it very fast, so just have to keep checking back in, but also said banana blossom were a good substitute. Brian and I bought two cans and read up on what banana blossoms are. I figured they wouldn't be good in my BBQ sauce like pulled pork like I do with the jackfruit. They really don't have much a flavor of their own but their texture is way better in a soup or in this recipe: Ginataang Puso ng Saging (I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO SAY IT BUT IT WAS DELICIOUS!)
The recipe and description came from this website:
http://panlasangpinoy.com/2011/05/17/ginataang-puso-ng-saging/
I didn't follow the recipe on this page SUPER close because my grandma taught me well and I have a great knack for just throwing the right amounts in and taste testing along the way! All we did was sauté garlic (I use like half a bunch of garlic at once so like minimum of 6 individual cloves - LOVE IT) and a whole red onion in some Rice Bran oil (by far my favorite oil so far - I really want to try sesame oil forsautéed veggies soon though, but its sooo expensive - I'm waiting to find a good deal on it). Then you add the drained and rinsed banana blossoms - just have to remove part of the stems but they are soft from the brine so it was easy to peel with your fingers. We cooked that for 2 mins added a splash of white vinegar, freshly ground peppercorns, and garlic powder. Next we put in a HUGE banana chili (big green chili) and we had to cut it into two big pieces because it wouldn't fit in the pot whole. And this was SERIOUSLY the biggest chili I have ever seen, and the chilies here in Australia have such a sweet kick to them. So unlike North American peppers. Even the guy at the checkout counter at my favorite farmers market store near campus was from Vietnam said the peppers from home would burn your mouth off, but Australian peppers sweetness still surprises him 21 years later! ha Next we added Coconut milk. Coconut milk in a can was very interesting! It looked like curdled water and had a think layer of waxy cream on top. A quick google search later and this is normal! haha We boiled the liquid down so it was a little creamier and then poured the concoction over those pasta noodles that are slightly thicker than fettuccine noodles. Even though the recipe called for pouring it over rice. We ate this with a bottle of Moscato! My favorite wine, and to our suprise the brand we choose was 10% alcohol when all the others at the store were 5%, a fun fact we did not know until half the bottle was gone! :D And We enjoyed this amazing dinner on the night of our 6 years of dating anniversary, June 26th! <3
We made this again the next night because I had another can of coconut cream (which is essential the exact same from coconut milk, but had a much thicker cream/curdled layer at the top and so I didn't use any of the liquid in the second round of Ginataang Puso ng Saging. We also decided to add half of a yellow bell pepper (I really wanted an orange pepper to compliment the green banana chili, but the farmers market stand didn't have any left, but the yellow turned out to be just as tasty). Next we added sautéed mushrooms, a lot more ground peppercorns, more vinegar, a splash of cooking wine and a splash of dried mustard. We reduced the liquid a little more, because we weren't as starving as the night before and had more patience! And now I am hooked! This dish was done within 20mins and it was soooo filling and I can't stop thinking of variations of how to change it up; for example, asparagus will be AMAZING with it, we can add soy sour cream to make it a little more creamier if we like. We can always put it over rice like the recipe originally called for, but I am such a pasta girl haha, you can add any sort of bell peppers, broccoli and a little carrot would be delicious also! OH my brain is all excited with possibilities now! I LOVE BEING ABLE TO COOK AGAIN!! Not that I couldn't cook at the dorms, but we ALWAYS ended up wanting to cook when someone else was hungry also and we had to use all of our roommates things since we only brought one pan with us. HA Thank god that this new apartment came decently stocked with the essentials! Minus a blender and I am really regretting not having room in our luggage for The Bullet! that little guy could mix anything in a hurry!! :) I'll manage for a little longer!
Here is a picture of our Anniversary dinner:
LOOK AT THAT PEPPER!! THATS ONLY HALF OF IT AND IT TOOK UP MOST OF THE BOWL!! :) DELICIOUS!
Also before I say goodnight, I was soooooooo excited that I passed my first semester of vet school that I forgot to tell you all that my WONDERFUL Granny Winfield made me the most beautiful pillow case! And it arrived the very morning I got my grades! Once you see the picture you will understand why it was soooo fitting!
COWS!! Granny - you know me way to well! I love me some cows, they are totally just big dogs - THAT WILL STEP AND POO ON YOU!! <3 hahahahaha
And Congratulations to Aunt Butchie on 25 years with the Salem Post Office! I hope you enjoy your retirement, but I know you aren't going to slow down! Those grand-babies are sure to keep you busy!
I love and miss everyone and feel free to leave me comments! If you are interested in my new address my parents or my grandma has it, and they also have an email for me OR tell my parents that you would like me to email when I have a chance and they can forward me your contact info. I am NOT the best responder to emails, but I am on break so maybe I will be better at it ;)
If you are a random reader interested in anything vet school, Australia, or Murdoch related I encourage your questions and will do my best to answer them! :)
And goodnight - I wrote way longer than planned! :D
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