Tuesday, March 17, 2009

WILD BANANA, Pisang Hutan.

Wild Banana or best known here in Malaysia as Pisang Hutan, is a speciality. They are in abundance at hillslopes and valleys. Their fruits are not normally eaten but I plant them not for the fruits but the leaf and the jantung. So far a lot of leaves but no fruit and jantung yet.

We took 3 little wild banana plants by the side of a drain, in Bangi January 2008. These plants are wild and hardy, and surviving in tough environment should be their speciality. We have taken out leaves from time to time to do our ikan bakar, grilled fish. The other day kakdah tried lempeng pisang, a recepy she picked since small. Sometimes just for a change we have nasi lemak the old ways, wrapped with banana leaf.


12 comments:

  1. The trunks? on those are amazing. Wish I had luck growing them here in Seattle.

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  2. So--are jantung flowers? Those are amazing plants.

    I left you a message over at Blotanical, too. Hope to see you there.
    --Kate

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  3. Gardeness,
    welcome or "selamat datang"

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  4. Yes, the leaves are beautiful. I would have such plants, too, and go buy fruit to a store!

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  5. The manic gardener..,
    Thanks for dropping a message at Blotanical. I dont know, but everytime I try to log in blotanical, I fail ... password mix-up may be?

    Jantung is the flower that has not open up yet, eaten here in Malaysia as salad. Of course we have to boil it first.

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  6. Tatyana, thanks for dropping in..,
    That banana plant is not the domesticated type, taken in wild, and yes I agree the leaves are beautiful..

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  7. Its been a while I dont eat that jantung pisang, your post reminds me to find some in the open market soon :) very the lazat if cook with coconut milk and ikang kering tambah cili ...tak terkata ...

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  8. FJL,
    Welcome.... is that masak lemak jantung you are talking about, or just kerabu jantung?..
    Hmmm... very tasty!

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  9. I love banana leaf-wrapped nasi lemak. It smells better. It's my fave choice for breakfast.

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  10. J.C... Wouldnt anybody as far as nasi lemak is concerned ....

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  11. How do you separate the seeds from the fruit to make lempeng pisang?

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  12. This has some recipes:
    http://fromthekitchentohisstomach.blogspot.sg/2009/07/gulai-batang-pisang.html

    Zingiberales in Traditional Malay Cooking
    http://www.heliconiasocietypr.org/HSPR%20Newsletter%2013%281%29.pdf

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