Musa acuminata is a species of banana native to Southern Asia. Its range comprises the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Many of the modern edible dessert bananas are from this species, although some are hybrids with Musa balbisiana. Banana Curry is a dish in which banana slices are sauteed in coconut oil to bring out the extra sweet and caramelised flavours. This Thai dish turns out delicious and creamy.
First cultivated by humans around 10 kya (8000 BCE), it is one of the early examples of domesticated plants. Cooking bananas are a major food staple in West and Central Africa, the Caribbean islands, Central America and northern South America. Members of the genus Musa are indigenous to the tropical regions of Southeast Asia and Oceania. Bananas plants bear fruits all year round, making them a reliable all-season staple food.
Cooking bananas are treated as starchy fruit with a relatively neutral flavour and soft texture when cooked. Cooking bananas may be eaten raw, however, they are most commonly prepared either fried, boiled, or processed into flour or dough.
Thai curry is a dish in Thai cuisine made from curry paste, coconut milk or water, meat, seafood, vegetables or fruit, and herbs. Curries in Thailand mainly differ from the curries in India in their use of ingredients such as herbs and aromatic leaves over a mix of spices.
Here’s the recipe for Thai-Style Banana Curry.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Servings: 2
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- 2 tbsp oil
- 3 bananas
- ½ cup onions (diced)
- 1 tbsp ginger (grated)
- 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp chilli garlic sauce
- 1 cup red lentils
Method:
- Clean the peas and keep aside.
- Slice bananas into thick rounds.
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large wok over medium/high heat and add the bananas.
- Cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes on each side.
- Remove bananas and set them aside.
- To the same wok add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil, heating to medium.
- Add the onion, ginger, and curry paste.
- Cook until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes.
- Add coconut milk broth, soy sauce, and chilli garlic paste.
- Bring to a gentle simmer, then add lentils.
- Cook until lentils are soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- To serve, spoon rice into serving bowls, followed by the curry.
- Top with sugar snaps and a few banana slices.
The word ‘curry’ figures in Thai language as ‘kari’ and refers to dishes using either an Indian-style curry powder, known as phong kari in Thailand or to the dish called kaeng kari, an Indian-influenced curry that is made with spices that are common to Indian dishes but less often used in these proportions in Thai cuisine. Kung phat phong kari (prawns fried with egg and curry powder) is an example of a dish using Indian-style curry powder.
