Have a banana tree nearby? Here are the most ingenious ways to use the leaves in your kitchen.
You must have noticed many of India's authentic cuisines have a linkage with being served or steamed in banana leaves. Be it enhancing your food's flavour or as a plate to keep your meal feel traditional, the lush green leaves always come to the rescue. The utterly biodegradable leaf is something that is an excellent alternative for temporary plastic plates. If you are lucky to have a banana tree at home, here is how you can bring its leaves to us in your kitchen.
For Serving Meals-
Popular in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha and Tamil Nadu, the banana leaves serve as the plates for everyday meal serving. Once they are laid on the table, you will enjoy getting the traditional essence of the leaves. The economic and eco-friendly resource adds to improving the environment and keeps your budget in check.
For Grilling And Steaming-
Life is incomplete if you haven't tasted the essence of food being grilled wrapped in a banana leaf. The perfect organic steamer is what makes your food taste perfect for melting in your mouth. The natural foil keeps your food from being burnt.
For Packing Your Food-
Be it packing your lunch or carrying steamed food for an outside picnic, you can always depend on banana leaves to keep your lunch safe. The best part is the leaves absorb the antioxidants and make the food even more nutritious. In Tamil Nadu, the dried leaves are called 'Vaazhai-ch-charugu'. These leaves are preserved as a packing foil, thanks to the water-proof nature.
For Weaving Baskets-
The dried banana leaves can be knit into baskets and mats to be ideal barbeque foils and utensils for saving your fruits for long. In many traditional ceremonies, the use of women and thatched banana leaves is compulsory and makes it ideal to be floated in rivers due to the biodegradable nature.
For Cooking Traditional Meals-
Apart from grilling and steaming your food, some traditional cuisines are made by dipping the banana leaves in coconut oil and then placing it on the frying pan. Cooking with banana leaves improves the nutrition factor of the food and oxidises it.
For Keeping Your Room Cool-
Instead of using curtains, hang wet banana leaves on the windows to the window sills and see the leaves cool your room instantly.
