Banana Plant Facts and Recipes Using the Stem and Flowers

The Banana Plant is a herbaceous large plant of the genus Musa which contains 83 species that grow edible bananas and plantains. The grown-up height of the banana plant ranges from around 8 feet to 20 feet depending upon the soil and climatic conditions. Above ground level, it is a soft stem with long leaves spread around it from bottom to top. The stem of the plant is made up of the bottom portion of these leaves becoming a sheath, thus, supporting the plant. As new leaves sprout up, the stem height also increases. When the plant matures, new leaves stop and a flower spike sprouts up from the stem carried by a new inner stem. In some very fertile soils, the flower spike fruits even at a height of 6 to 7 feet and gets loaded with bunches of bananas. You can pick the bananas from the hanging bunch elevating your hands. The normal average height of the plants is around 10 to 15 feet and they bear at least one bunch of bananas. A good plant can yield up to 2 to 3 bunches of bananas simultaneously containing hundreds of bananas in each of the bunch. At the end of the season, the plant dies and new plants sprout up from the base.

• Eating bananas after meals is good for digestion. You can consume it with milk or buttermilk as per your liking. They act as antioxidants also.
• During loose motions, eat a banana and you will get immediate relief.
• The iron and calcium properties in banana fruit, stem, and flowers are very good for health. They increase hemoglobin production and control the blood circulation.
• It is good for growing children and for those suffering from weakness. Ripe banana fruits and the recipes provide the energy to revitalize their bodies.
• People suffering from depression also get some relief by eating bananas as they control the brain's nerves.
• The rich fiber content is very good for digestion, acidity problems, and growth of your body.

Banana plant stem is made up of an inner stem and an outer false stem. The false stem forms first with the help of the bottom ends of the leaves forming as the sheath. Each leaf's bottom end coils into a round or half round to create the stem from the base itself. The base below earth's level is known as corn from which plants in the form of leaves sprout. So the banana plant stands with the help of this false stem which is hollow. Later, another stem from inside emerges which carries the flower to the top for becoming a bunch of bananas.

This inner stem is used for food. We can prepare many delicious and healthy dishes with this inner stem which contains lots of fiber, iron, potassium, and calcium needed for our body.

Banana stems are sold in vegetable markets after removing their outer harsh layer. They are sold in pieces, measuring around one foot, for easy utilization by the customers. If you have plants in your neighborhood, you can get the stems from the cultivators after their season is over.

Cut the stem piece vertically to remove the remaining layers of the outer stem as shown in the above image with a knife. Remove the layers tearing with your hand. Then use the inner stem. Cut the stem into small pieces as shown in the image after removal of outer layers. Now you will prepare the recipes with these minced pieces.

I usually prepare two kinds of Banana Stem Recipes (side dishes for meals). One is prepared using tamarind juice which will be sour and spicy to enjoy. The other one is prepared with curd and it tastes delicious.

This recipe is prepared with tamarind juice and mustard paste along with other ingredients. That brings the joy of enjoying this recipe

Ingredients Required:

Minced pieces of one-foot banana stem, tamarind Juice 2 tablespoons, mustard seeds 2 tablespoons for paste and half teaspoon for frying, red pepper long size (two) split into pieces, salt, and turmeric powder. You may add ground nuts, and cashew nuts also.

Preparation Instructions:

Put the cooking pan on the flame adding a tablespoon of oil. After heating the oil, add the red pepper pieces and other ingredients of ground nuts, cashew nuts, etc. (according to your taste and quantity of recipe to be prepared) and a half teaspoon of mustard seeds. After frying them till the splitting sound, add the minced pieces of the banana stem to it and mix well for a minute on the heat. Then add the tamarind juice and some water (say 50 ml) and mix. Add salt and half a teaspoon turmeric powder and after mixing well cook it for 10 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the paste of mustard seeds using the small grinding jar, grinding them finely by adding some drops of water to make a soluble paste containing white foam. When the banana stem recipe gets cooked, switch off the stove. Add this mustard seed paste to it and mix well. Now your banana stem recipe is ready for the serve.

The recipe from a one-foot-long stem serves 4 to 5 persons.

This recipe does not require the tamarind juice or the mustard paste.

Ingredients required:

Minced pieces of one-foot banana stem, salt, turmeric powder, half a spoon of mustard seeds, and one cup curd.

Cooking Instructions:
Cook the minced pieces in a cooker with very little water (say 2 tablespoons of water quantity) adding half-a-spoon of salt. After one or two whistles, you can remove it from the heat and allow it to cool. After cooling, transfer it into a bowl, add the curd, and a half-spoon or quarter-spoonful of turmeric powder, and mix well. The turmeric powder is added for good color, flavor, and appearance. After mixing everything thoroughly, fry the mustard seeds using less than half a spoon of oil. Fry until you hear the spluttering noise, turn off the flame, and add it to the recipe. Your curd recipe is now ready for serving.

Banana leaves are useful in many ways and good for the health. You can use the cut pieces of the leaf as plates or prepare bowls with them for holding liquid foods. Taking food from banana leaves contributes to your health as they are more clean and hygienic than other plates. They are very much eco-friendly also in contrast to other paper and disposable plates; as the leaves degrade quickly in the earth. Further, the wonderful aroma and chemical properties released from the banana leaves add a great taste to your food.

Uses of Bananas in raw form and in the form of ripe fruits is already popular all over the world.

• Great varieties of dishes are prepared with raw green bananas as curries for side dishes and as breakfast items.
• The raw banana recipe is prepared either by cooking in steam and then sauteing with spices and curry leaves or by cutting into pieces and frying in a pan and then adding spices before or after removing from heat or preparing curry in an ordinary way through cooking in a bowl with salt and spice or tamarind juice and spice powders.
• Dry chips are also prepared with bananas by cutting thin rounds of it.
• Ripe bananas are mostly used as fruits by eating them in original form. A lot of desserts are prepared from them in many different forms adding various ingredients with cream which are mostly popular in every corner of the world.

Besides my own experience, I took facts from the following sites.

1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana

2) http://www.medindia.net/patients/lifestyleandwellness/medicinal-properties-of-the-banana-plant.htm

Nutrition facts source: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/raw-banana-stem-51260846