View Full Version : Banana leaf wrapped grilled fish
island cassie
01-04-2008, 01:43 PM
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_10645,00.html
You must be able to buy dried pieces of banana leaf for cooking, as this recipe calls for 2 large banana leaves for each small piece of fish - to be secured with a couple of toothpicks! - made me laugh anyway!
Cassie
bencelest
01-04-2008, 09:55 PM
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_10645,00.html
You must be able to buy dried pieces of banana leaf for cooking, as this recipe calls for 2 large banana leaves for each small piece of fish - to be secured with a couple of toothpicks! - made me laugh anyway!
Cassie
Hey, Casie:
Don't laugh. I just did it. But with little improvisation. Instead of lemon I use calamondin and I add ginger, a little soy sauce to the recipe and MSG. Good for on top of steam rice. I have lots of fresh banana leaves inside my patio.
D_&_T
01-04-2008, 09:58 PM
wonder what type they are using to need 8, on our tree one leaf would do that meal
mskitty38583
01-05-2008, 01:27 AM
it would be kind of hard to wrap anything in a dried nana leaf. so you soak it in water? why the heck wouldnt he just use a green nana leaf? that is so like duh. now i understand why your laughing. i didnt get it till i read the recipe. got to drop emeril a note.
mskitty38583
01-05-2008, 01:44 AM
did anyone send food network an e-mail to ask them what the heck? :D :D :D
island cassie
01-05-2008, 08:11 AM
Benny - so did we and it was really good!
D_&_T - I assume they must mean square pieces of leaf instead of whole leaves - that's why I wondered if you could buy frozen or dried leaves. My leaf was 5ft long and 3ft wide so no way would you need 2 per piece of fish, and if you used whole leaves - a toothpick would be useless, you would need baling twine!
mskitty - I only found the recipe last night when I was looking for a way to use my broken leaf, so I haven't contacted them. Would be interesting to know what they had in mind though. I'm going out in a minute, but I will contact them when I get back and let you know what they say!
Cassie
mskitty38583
01-05-2008, 10:54 AM
i sent emeril a line or two last night. i was a bit confused when i read the recipe..that would almost be like chopping down an apple tree to harvest apples.i just asked them why not use a green nana leaf and why would they need 2 leaves for one piece of fish.(conserve nana leaves.the tree needs it more then the fish do. lol) if it was a whole salmon or a whole mahi mahi, heck a huge hunk of shark or sword fish i could see the 2-12 leaves...but for little fish like that? i did laugh. so as soon as i hear something ill post it here, so we all wont be confused. ha ha ha. some of the nana leaves ive seen on some of the trees in the gallery...with 2 leaves you could wrap a mini cooper.
island cassie
01-05-2008, 11:22 AM
Glad you could see the funny side too mskitty. I will email them this afternoon and see if we get the same answer.
Living away from civilisation (lol) I wondered if banana leaf wrappers were carried by delicatessens in the USA as he seems to hint that they might be. Or perhaps it was a typo that the editors missed and he meant to say pieces of leaf.
With some of the rest of the leaf I am trying shopgirls tip for a pot that sticks - boil up the leaf in the pot! I have a sticking pot and will let you know if it works.
Cassie
mskitty38583
01-05-2008, 11:34 AM
make sure that you use 2 leaves for every stick! rotflmas
island cassie
01-05-2008, 11:40 AM
haha! note to self - run out and buy bigger pot!
Just given up on trying to email emeril after going round and round on their website. Just too impatient!
Cassie
jellyfish_sky
01-05-2008, 12:09 PM
The leaves you buy at asian supermarkets are usually frozen (not dried). I think you have to soak it in warm water to make it more flexible.
I still don't understand why 2 huge banana leaves for each piece of fish... more flavour? It's kinda hard to wrap....
Does it really taste like banana? When using nana leaves, I usually steam for at least 30 min, so the taste can really get to the food... hmmm
bencelest
01-05-2008, 01:34 PM
Note:
To use the banana leaves without tearing.
Remove the middle stem . Then put the leaf on top of a gas stove. You will see the leaf turn color somewhat sort of become glassy-like. Then the leaf will become pliable and you can wrap the fish with it without tearing.
mskitty38583
01-05-2008, 02:11 PM
cassie, go to the food network website and on the left side of the screen it will have a listing of 'shows from a-z'. click on e for emeril. it will have a space at the bottom of the page for questions and comments. you have to type in your info and then post you questiona or comment. it took me 20 mins last night to figure it out.
island cassie
01-05-2008, 02:15 PM
Thanks for that tip Benny - we did have a bit of a problem with tearing so we will use your method next time.
Jellyfish - you have solved the mystery as I didn't know you could buy banana leaves in any form - nor did mskitty. I think the "2 leaves per piece of fish" was a mistake - what they probably meant to say was "2 pieces of leaf". As my smallest leaves are 5ft by 3ft, I wouldn't be able to get the parcels under the grill if they were wrapped in 2 leaves each! lol. Doesn't taste of banana, but a delicate interesting flavour.
Cassie
mskitty38583
01-05-2008, 02:18 PM
nope i sure didnt. thanks for that "leaflette" of information. :2141: :eek:. lol!
bencelest
01-05-2008, 06:25 PM
The banana leaf has a unique flavor all of its own.
In the Orient, the food is specially made if wrapped in banana leaves. More so in the US.
Try this simple step.
If you want to cook a special steam rice, put banana leaves under the rice and cook as usual. You will notice the unique flavor it will bring to the rice after it is cook.
mskitty38583
01-05-2008, 07:01 PM
i just have a hard time justifing the wacking of a leaf i have waited soooo long to see. maybe if and when it gets more leaves i will probably try it. thank you for the idea. i love rice. my oscar only has 1 leaf. he would be naked again. lol! so the cooking of the nana leaf has got to wait.;)
bencelest
01-05-2008, 07:15 PM
MsKitty, so am I.
How many times I refused my wife when she asked me that she wanted banana leaves.
First and foremost is the healthy well being of my bananas. And aesthetic value.
I only cut the leaves that I can spare well.
mskitty38583
01-05-2008, 07:23 PM
thats right. and i totally understand!! in the fall when you have to trim it back then she can have all the leaves she wants. lol. my daughter(oldest) was talking about wrapped and steamed planitains or something, and i told her if she touched my trees, shed draw back a nub.
bencelest
01-05-2008, 08:04 PM
I will only trim some banana leaves just like that banana in the background. And that is still questionable because of its size.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=7511&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=7511)
And would you believe that those bananas are still in pots? But they will be planted on the ground come spring time.
island cassie
01-05-2008, 08:09 PM
Benny - your garden looks wonderful!!
Cassie
bencelest
01-05-2008, 08:25 PM
Thanks for the nice compliment Casie. I have plenty of pictures of my garden but for the moment I'll put another one.
I hope nobody is getting bored of my plants.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=7512&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=7512)
mskitty38583
01-05-2008, 08:40 PM
i never get board with looking at plants. your garden is beautiful.
CookieCows
01-05-2008, 09:36 PM
I too am really enjoying looking at these beautiful plants !!
jellyfish_sky
01-05-2008, 11:25 PM
Nice garden! Wish I had one like this.... sigh
If cutting your nanas' leaves away is an emotionally painful option (it would for me lol!) you could probably buy frozen leaves for really cheap at south asian markets. My favourite nana leaf dessert is some kind of sticky rice with bananas in it and coconut milk, all wrapped with leaves and steamed for hours. Tastes like heaven!
island cassie
01-06-2008, 03:10 PM
Hey Jellyfish - that dessert sounds mouthwatering. If you can find a name or recipe - post it here. I'm sure that both mskitty and I are dying for it!
Cassie
bencelest
01-06-2008, 03:22 PM
yeah, me too. I tasted some of those but without the bananas but they put sugar or honey instead wrapped in banana leaves.
and thanks to cookiecow, jelleyfish and mskitty for the encouragement and support.
mskitty38583
01-06-2008, 05:28 PM
ill have to go to the asian store in cookvegas to get nana leaves, cause i shore aint cutting the one leaf off of oscar. hed be naked...again. lol it does sound good. and i would love to try it. i love exotic food.
jellyfish_sky
01-06-2008, 08:37 PM
You can take a look at this: http://www.fao.org/inpho/content/documents/vlibrary/AE617e/35.htm
I don't understand the whole recipe (sometimes confusing), but you can experiment. You could probably use canned coconut milk instead of fresh coconut, and replace the filling with whatever you feel like.
:chefnaner:
I will try it next weekend!
island cassie
01-06-2008, 08:49 PM
Wow Celine - that is a formidable recipe and obviously some things were lost in the translation, but with a little experimentation it could be really good.
I was amazed by the cooking of the parcels for 6-8 hours - who would have thunk it would take so long! No problem with the fresh coconut as the gardeners are coming tomorrow to cut the coconuts off our 3 trees - the darn things are falling like bombs and each time we get up to a tonne of nuts off them. We pass them on to neighbours, the gardeners and even the dogs get to eat coconut - they love them.
Cassie
mskitty38583
01-06-2008, 11:31 PM
that recipe sounds really good...but it needs a major overhaul for me to cook it. you could probably use jasmine rice, or even regular rice and cook it the way chinese do( sticky rice and just add coconut and the milk in the cooking of the rice ). and it cooks for 6-8 hours? you could probably put it in a water bath( like one would for cheesecake) in the oven on 350 *f - 425 *f for about 2- 4 hours. that might make it more manageable time wise. next time i go to cookvegas might have to find nana leaves and give it a try. it does sound very tasty!!!:jump: could even put some (drained if canned) citrus in it too.
bencelest
01-07-2008, 09:50 AM
MsKitty:
A suggestion. If you use regular or jasmine rice as a substitute for sticky rice, it is not going to be as good taste as the original recipe.
You can buy a sticky rice in any oriental store in 1 lb or 2 lb bag and it won't cost as much as you may think.
Also if the taste is not as good as you may want add sugar on top or better still syrup or coconut syrup. It is a desert type of thing.
mskitty38583
01-07-2008, 11:44 AM
thanks, there is an asian store in cookeville. school starts next monday will have to stop by there.
bencelest
01-07-2008, 08:32 PM
Also the banana wrapped sticky rice should be cooked in a pot big enough to immersed all the rolls in boiling water. And the lid must be very tight so there is a pressurized steam inside the pot. You can do this by wrapping around the lid with cotton T-shirt. I think 1 and a half hour is plenty to cook the rolls completely also please don't cook the rolls inside the oven. The sticky rice will get hard and crumble. What you want is moist and sticky when cooked just like in the picture. When you unwrap a roll cut a spoonful, roll it in sugar and enjoy. You'll find that it will be hard to unstick it from your tongue or palate and that's the fun .
mskitty38583
01-07-2008, 08:40 PM
we are sure gonna give it a try, thank you.
jellyfish_sky
01-07-2008, 09:22 PM
thanks ben for the suggestion! I can't wait to try it :)
bencelest
01-08-2008, 12:22 AM
Glad to help.
Here's another pic of my garden last Spring
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=2752&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=2752)
mskitty38583
01-08-2008, 10:06 AM
ok thats it...im coming to your house to rob you of your nanas and flowers. lol. your yard is so lovely. did you draw out a plan or did you just stick them wherever? i have actually drawn out one im just hopeing it will look as nice as your and randys after a few yrs. my daughter bought a croton at walmart last nite. she bought it for me and then said it was hers. she hates plants. im just amazed at her. it is the red, yellow and orange polka dotted kind.they call it the bush on fire. it was 2.58. they had the yellow and green, but she liked the red in it. it is such a wild looking plant. its going to be put in a nicer pot today if it rains and i cant get outside to play in the dirt.:0489:
bencelest
01-08-2008, 10:54 AM
Would you believe that 90% of my plants are in pots? Those bananas are in pots so are the flowers. Thanks for the compliment Mskitty.
mskitty38583
01-08-2008, 10:57 AM
thats a lot of pots!
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