Yes, yes to banana

If I were to ask what is the most popular roadside snack of Mumbai, some of you are sure to answer vada pao! I beg to differ. Have you seen the number of banana carts around the office areas? Banana: good, hygienic and can be presented to a hungry man in a blink of an eye! I think it beats all the snacks hands down! And it continues to live on with this good repute with extreme humility. 

I have also heard “Banana? It is sooo fattening!” Experts say that the banana is the ideal snack food if fitness is a priority. It is packed with energy, fibre and vitamins. It is rich in potassium and has natural sugars and no fat. I am sure you have seen Wimbledon players munching away on bananas during the break in a match! That is instant energy food for you! I don’t think more proof is needed. The ‘good’ of the banana is evident also as weaning food for infants. Banana with cereals like rice and wheat is guaranteed to be one healthy meal for a healthy baby.

It’s a herb!

An interesting point is that the banana is the oldest cultivated fruit, first documented in Asia in 600 BC. However it doesn’t grow on trees but on the world’s biggest herb, Musa sapientium, which is a relative of the orchid family! Plump and yellow is the banana and takes a lot of imagination to link it to such delicate flowers. Such is nature! 

Power in all parts

The entire banana plant is useful: only roots and leaves are inedible. But the leaves are excellent food wrappers and food containers (ever had the super multi-course meal on a banana leaf in South?). The stem, though highly fibrous, can be cooked as a vegetable. And banana flower, the kelful? Be it the Southeast Asians, the Tamilians, the Bengalis or the Keralites, there are exotic preparations using the banana flower up their sleeves. 

Ripeness check

One look at a banana tells us if it is at a stage of ripeness that is liked by everyone at home. You could be buying the small elaichi kelas or the rajeli variety for cooking. Don’t worry, even I have fussy kids who will not touch the fruit if black specks are on it. Here’s a guide:

Green: Unripe bananas, used in soups, stews and wafers.

Yellow with green tips: Partially ripe, used for broiling, baking and frying.

All yellow: Ripe, eaten by itself or used in sweet dishes like cakes, breads, halwas, puddings etc.

Yellow with brown freckles: Fully ripe, eaten by itself or in salad, mixed with other fruits and in other sweet dishes.

All brown: Overripe, if flesh is firm, still in prime eating condition. Excellent for milkshakes

Get cooking!

So take a few raw bananas and make a choice: aviyal or chips? Try the kachche kele ki pav bhaji. Or chop and toss with jeera and ghee to make an excellent vegetable for a day of fasting. A good combination is bajre ki roti stuffed with raw banana. We can also make tikkis using raw banana. No one will ever know that potatoes are missing! And ripe bananas? Oh, the list will not fit here! Have it as is for breakfast and get fuel for the morning. Or make Banana French Toast. Over the weekend try Banana Chocolate Pancakes with ice cream (why not?!). Or simply use up the softer fruits in a milkshake. Better still, rustle up a Kele ka halwa….or let’s share a banana split!