Description

Banana leaf

is beautiful, fun to use, and easy to cook with. They serve many purposes in Asian, Caribbean, and Hispanic cuisines, from adding flavor to cooking foods inside them to simply being used as a colorful setting for serving plates and party platters at a dinner party. The banana leaf is the leaf of the banana plant, which may produce up to 40 leaves in a growing cycle. The leaves have a wide range of applications because they are large, flexible, waterproof, and decorative. They are used for cooking, wrapping, and food-serving in a wide range of cuisines in tropical and subtropical areas.

Banana leaves can be used for baking anything “wrapped” in the same way you would use tin foil or parchment paper. Note that banana leaves are porous (unlike tin foil), so some of the liquid or juices from your food may seep through. Therefore, it’s a good idea to place your banana leaf “packets” in a glass casserole dish or a tray that has sides on it. That way the juices won’t drop to the bottom of your oven.

Besides boiling or baking in them, you can use the leaf as a “mat” for barbecuing fragile fillets of fish, smaller shrimp, or vegetables that could fall through the grill. Simply lay a piece of banana leaf on your grill and cook your food items on top of it as you would with tin foil. The banana leaf will turn bright green at first, then brown as you cook. It will give a nice pleasant smoky flavor to your food.

Banana leaves are also used to wrap several kinds of snacks kue (delicacies), such as Nagasaki or kue pisang and otak-otak, and also to wrap pressed sticky-rice delicacies such as Lemper and lontong. In Java, banana leaf is also used as a shallow conical bowl called “pincuk”, usually to serve rujak tumbuk, pecel or satay.

The most commonly known use of banana leaves is to use it as a serving plate. South Indian food is usually served on a banana leaf due to its many medicinal and flexible qualities. Banana leaf also makes a beautiful “placemat” or “table cloth” on which to serve dishes. Before placing any food on a banana leaf or arranging some on the table, rinse well with hot water and pat dry.