Thai Banana Blossom Salad | Yum Hua Plee | Kitchenstagram
Thai cuisine is known for its vibrant salads, which are highly versatile and often made with whatever fresh vegetables or proteins are available. These dishes are typically brought to life with the classic Thai balance of fish sauce, chilies, palm sugar and lime juice. Banana Blossom Salad, known in Thailand as Yum Hua Plee, is a classic Thai salad prepared using the tender inner petals of the banana flower, often called the banana heart. This Thai Banana Blossom Salad or Yum Hua Plee is a wonderful example, combining bold flavours with fresh ingredients in a quick and easy recipe that is perfect for warm-weather meals.
Banana blossoms are a valued ingredient in Thailand, where food is used thoughtfully and waste is minimized. The flowers are commonly featured in salads, soups and curries, appreciated for their unique texture and delicate nutty taste. In this salad, this banana blossom is carefully sliced into tender shreds and soaked in water to prevent discolouration, ensuring it remains fresh and appealing.
This dish brings together crisp banana flower strands with a rich coconut-based dressing and your preferred protein. Every bite delivers a delicious balance of sweet, tangy and mildly spicy flavours, making it one of the more distinctive dishes in Asian cuisine. Ideal for a quick lunch or lighter dinner, this refreshing salad is a great way to experience authentic Thai flavours at home. It also pairs beautifully with other Thai inspired fruit salads, making it a fantastic addition to any summer menu.
What is Banana Blossom?
A banana blossom, also known as banana flower or banana heart, is the large purple-edible flower that grows at the end of a banana cluster. Popular throughout Southeast Asian cuisine, especially in Thailand, it is valued for its tender yet slightly crunchy texture and mild, nutty flavour. Many people describe its taste as a combination of artichoke hearts and bamboo shoots, with a subtle bitterness. The outer petals are tough and are usually removed to reveal the soft inner layers, which can be shredded and used like a vegetable. In Thai cuisine, banana blossom is often featured in fresh salads, where its delicate texture, gentle flavour and ability to absorb seasonings make it a versatile and appealing ingredient.
Why you’ll love this recipe?
Creamy, coconut-forward, slightly bitter ad packed with rich umami flavours.
Offers a refreshing bite with a pleasantly fibrous texture that sets it apart from Thai Pomelo salad.
Works beautifully as a light lunch, summer meal or flavourful base for rice and grilled proteins.
Naturally plant-based and easy to adapt for vegan or vegetarian diets.
Ingredients needed for Thai Banana Blossom Salad:
Banana Blossom: Banana Blossom, also known as a banana heart or banana flower, is the larger purple-red edible flower that grows at the end of a banana cluster. Popular throughout Southeast Asian cuisine, especially in Thailand, it is prized for its tender, slightly crunchy texture and mild, nutty flavour. For this salad, the tender inner shreds are removed from the blossom and soaked in water with salt and fresh lime juice for about 10 minutes to reduce bitterness and keep them fresh.
Chicken: Chicken adds heartiness and protein to the salad while complementing the creamy, tangy and spicy flavours of the dressing.
Thai Chili Paste (Nam Prik Pao): This traditional Thai chili jam brings smoky heat, sweetness and depth of flavour. Find our Homemade Thai Chili Paste recipe HERE!!
Coconut Milk: Coconut milk contributes a rich, creamy texture and subtle sweetness that balances the salad’s spicy and sour elements while adding a luxurious finish.
Fresh Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice provides bright acidity and freshness, helping to enhance and tie together all the flavours. Tamarind juice or vinegar can be used as alternatives if needed.
Fish Sauce: A staple seasoning in Thai cuisine, fish sauce delivers a savory, salty and deeply umami-rich character that forms the backbone of the dressing.
Fresh Chilies: Fresh chilies add a lively spicy kick and can be adjusted according to your preferred heat level.
Chopped Cilantro: A handful of fresh cilantro contributes a fragrant, herbal note that is characteristic of many Thai salads.
Raw Shallots: Thinly sliced raw shallots bring a mild sharpness, subtle sweetness and extra brightness to the dish.
Toasted Desiccated Coconut: Toasted coconut adds nutty flavour, aroma and depth, enhancing the salad’s tropical character.
Palm Sugar: Palm sugar, or regular sugar, helps balance the spicy, sour and salty flavours, creating a harmonious dressing.
Roasted Peanuts: Roasted peanuts provide a satisfying crunch and contrast, adding texture and a rich nutty finish to every bite.
Serving Suggestions:
For the best flavour, serve banana blossom salad well chilled. Enjoy it alongside jasmine rice or Thai sticky rice for a satisfying meal. Finish with fresh coriander, lime wedges, roasted peanuts or crispy shallots. This salad also complements grilled meats such as moo yang and seafood dishes like grilled squid.
Storage Tips:
For best quality, store banana blossom salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator and keep it chilled at all times, especially if it contains meat. While it can be stored for 1-2 days, it is most enjoyable when eaten fresh. Longer storage is not recommended, as the delicate banana flower tends to lose its texture and quality.
Pro Tips:
Soak sliced banana blossom in lime water to prevent browning.
For older banana flowers, blanching helps reduce bitterness and improves flavour.
Slice the blossom thinly so it absorbs dressing better and provides a more pleasant texture when eaten.
For protein variations, use shredded chicken, turkey or tofu.
If the blossom is mature, soaking in lime water followed by blanching can enhance its taste and texture.
Ingredients
1 no. Banana Blossom
2 nos. Lime, quartered
1 heaped tbsp Thai Chili Paste/ Nam Prik Pao
1-2 tbsp Fish Sauce
2 nos. Fresh Red Chili, thinly sliced
1 tsp Red Chili Flakes
3 tbsp Palm Sugar
30 ml Coconut Milk
1 no. Shallot, thinly sliced
1 cup Cooked Chicken, Sliced
15-20 nos. Prawn, cooked
1/4 cup Desiccated Coconut, toasted
1/4 cup Peanut, roasted
1/4 cup Fresh Coriander, chopped
Preparation
- Step 1: Fill a bowl with water, squeeze in 1 lime and add their peels. Peel the outer petals, the darker layers are tough and fibrous. Keep going until you get to the soft, pale part inside. Save the petals if you want to use them as serving bowls later. Slice the core in half, then slice everything thinly. Soak everything in lime water for 10 minutes, to help maintain the colours brightness and reduced the bitter taste that banana flower can have. After 10 minutes drain and shake off any leftover waster.
- Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, stir together Nam Prik Pao, fish sauce, lime juice, red chili, chili flakes, palm sugar and coconut milk, stir to mix everything properly.
- Step 3: Then add sliced shallots, cooked chicken slices, cooked prawns, desiccated coconut, drained banana blossom, roasted peanuts and freshly chopped coriander, mix everything so it’s well coated in that creamy, savory sauce.
- Step 4: If you like, use the saved petals for serving the salad. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl, top with fresh red chili and coriander sprig. Serve immediately and enjoy!!
About Me
DEBJANI MONDAL
Welcome to Kitchenstagram, the home of delicious recipes, culinary inspiration and cooking adventures. I’m Debjani and I’m thrilled to be your guide through the wonderful world of food. I’m a self-taught professional baker, home chef, recipe developer, author of Kitchenstagram and an aspiring YouTuber.
My passion for food and cooking began at a very young age, when I would watch my mom and dad cook for me and my brother. My dad, in particular is a great cook whose culinary skills made a lasting impression on me. My dad would cook up a storm on special occasions by cooking variety of dishes, from delicious biriyani to samosa, fish fry, rasgullas and kachoris (sweet & spicy deep fried pastry with filling of lentils, meat or fish…>>>>>
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