Recipe | Smoked Pork with Banana Blossom and Bitter Eggplant (Likok)

“Are banana blossoms edible?” Absolutely yes – and they have some noteworthy benefits for your health too. Just look it up.

Not only that, they are just as delectable, and a popular ingredient used in various North East Indian recipes. Today, we are making a banana blossom dish with another star ingredient: Smoked pork. An interesting add-on would be the ‘Likok’ aka Bitter Eggplant, which lends a balancing taste note to the overall dish. This non-fussy dish is simple to make but has a unique memorable taste. So let’s start cooking!

Smoked Pork with Banana Blossom and Likok Eggplants

Rootsandleisure_Recipe_Smokedpork_BananaBlossom

Smoked Pork with Banana Blossom and Likok Eggplants

Ingredients:

1 Kg Smoked pork (chopped into cubes)
1 banana blossom
3-4 potatoes
Around 100 gms of whole Eggplant bitter (Likok)
2 medium-sized tomatoes
8-10 Green chilies
Salt to taste

Main Ingredient 1: Smoked Pork

Smoked Pork

Main Ingredient 2: Banana Blossoms

Banana Blossoms

Eggplant bitter (Likok)

Getting the Ingredients Ready:

Banana blossoms: Remove the outer covers until you get the inner softer white portion. Now holding it vertically with the stalk on top, start slicing into small thin pieces with a sharp knife. (Refer the above photo)
Smoked Pork: Chop into 1″ pieces, and clean well with warm water
Potatoes: Peel and cut into halves
Eggplant bitter: Remove the stems, and wash. Leave them whole.
Tomatoes: Put a deep cut from the top in the middle; leave them whole
Green Chillies: Chopped

Ingredients for ‘Smoked Pork with Banana Blossom’

Ingredients ready to cook ‘Smoked Pork with Banana Blossom’

Directions to Cook:

Put all the above ingredients into a deep vessel and pour sufficient water to cover them fully. Add salt.
Cover with a lid, and cook on medium-high heat until the potatoes are soft, and the smoked pork is almost done.
Take out the tomatoes and potatoes and put them into a mortar and pestle, and mash them.
Put them back to the pot, and continue cooking with the lid open. Cook on low flame.
Add more water if required (this is a stew, so add water accordingly). Also, taste and see if you need to add more salt. Add if required.
Let it simmer for another 5-10 mins.
Smoked pork with banana blossom is ready to be served with rice. Enjoy!