Banana bliss / Nazima Versay Kudus

The banana fruit can be eaten fresh or cooked. It can be fried into banana fritters and cekodok, turned into various Malay kuihs (lepat, lempeng, bingka, apam and talam) or baked (banana cake). It can be processed for various downstream products such as banana chips (kerepek pisang) and smoked banana (pisang salai). This fruit is suitable for desserts such as banana split ice-cream and shakes too. Young banana fruit can be curried into gulai pisang tumis darat. The banana blossom, known as "jantung" in Malay for its heart-like shape, undergoes a blanching process in hot water before serving as a condiment with a rice dish, typically enjoyed as an ulam (leaves, vegetables or fruits consumed either raw or blanched, paired with the zesty kick of sambal belacan). Beyond its role as a condiment, the banana blossom can be transformed into a delightful kerabu, a Malay vegetable salad with dressings from lime juice, dry toasted grated coconut (kerisik) and shrimp paste. Banana leaves play a crucial role in Malay culinary traditions, serving as versatile wrappers and food linings for nasi lemak, lemang, otak-otak and ikan bakar (grilled fish). These leaves add a distinctive touch, enhancing both presentation and flavour. Other than that, banana leaves are essential for wrapping a variety of kuihs, including lepat, kuih koci, tepung bungkus, pulut dakap and lopes.