After wheat, rice and maize, the banana is the fourth most consumed food in the world. In Australia, however, after a cyclone (hurricane) in March flattened the continent’s main banana growing area in north Queensland, namely Innisfail, this herb has become an expensive luxury.
The price has skyrocketed from a few Aussie dollars a kilo to near $15 (about US$10). But as it’s time for Weekend Herb Blogging #38 – hosted this week by the vegan Absolutely Green in France – why not roll out the big and very expensive bananas.
Such is the luxury of a banana these days that I’m shaving thin slices over my Muesli ( Granola) as I might shave a white truffle over a risotto. Or I may add them to an exotic recipe.
I certainly don’t have large bunches of them hanging around in my fruit bowl anymore. I buy them on a “to eat” basis.
Last week I had leftover some coconut milk from a prawn soup. Into it I dice two organic bananas. Shave some palm sugar and squeeze the juice of a lime and cook over the stove until the bananas are soft.
This recipe used to be cheap and quick. It is still quick to prepare taking perhaps ten minutes to cook plus as long as it takes to peel a bananas and search the cupboards for the other ingredients. And it is tasty enough to warrant making with gold-plate bananas.
Unlike traditional baked bananas – with butter, rum, brown sugar and cream – these bananas taste fresh and zesty, almost healthy. And vegan.
Anyway, if anyone’s in the market I’m trading saffron – kilo for kilo – for bananas.
I’m really sick of the fake ones I’ve been making out of Parsnip. Urghh!
ALERT: I’ve just been raided by the local customs service for inciting the import of bananas. Their powers are slightly stronger than the anti-terrorism squad. Locally, importing fruit is viewed more seriously than importing drugs and in some cases can result in the death penalty – being locked in a cell with a rabid Koala bear. The ones you have seen on TV are just babies. Adult ones grow to the size of polar bears and drop out of trees onto peoples heads. They don’t eat bananas.
WHB,weekend herb blogging, bananas, Melbourne, Australia, Food, Food+Drink
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I didn’t know a cyclone destroyed Australia’s bananas. Luckily for us, you found some and made alovely and easy recipe… Thank you for posting it.
A man walks into a fruit shop and asks for $5 worth of bananas. The greengrocer replies “Wouldn’t you like a whole one?”
Virginie. thanks. look forward to the round up.
Very funny DrReb.
Sorry to hear about the bananas. I have to confess, they are not my favorite fruit. However, I do love coconut milk and this sounds very good.
kalyn, I don’t really like them raw; they make me retch apart from the really fresh ripe ones i’ve had on hols in the tropics.
Haha-this one made me laugh my guts off! So much for bananas almost selling at the price of gold in Australia, I shall value the bananas in Bombay more, at 20 Rupees a dozen, it’s really cheap-
Nice recipe, just wondering if adding lime juice to coconut milk won’t curdle it? Or does coconut milk never get curdled?
I don’t think the cocnut milk curdles or at least the lime doesn’t. I quite like this for breakfast.