A lot of flowers can be use to make our food nutritious as well as more aesthetically appealing. If you have a banana tree in your house or garden, you can for instance use the banana flower for a delicious banana flower curry. Start by cleaning the banana tree flower and removing the outer leaves. Take away the hard stamen and the hard covering at the base. Cut the banana flowers into small pieces and place them in a pot. (Some cooks prefer to store the flowers in the fridge over night before using them.) Add water, some salt and a pinch of turmeric powder to the pot and cook until the flowers are soft. Remove from heat. Set aside the flowers and use the water to soak 1 tsp of rice and 2 tsp of mustard seeds for 15 minutes. Grind rice and mustard with 3 red chillies until you have a coarse paste. Heat up 2 tbsp of ghee in a pan and fry 2 red chillies (broken into pieces), 1 tsp of black gram dal, 1 pinch of asafoetida, and a sprig of curry leaves for 2 minutes. Add the banana flowers to the pan and stir well. Add the rice/mustard/chilli paste to the pan and mix all ingredients well. Add 2 tsp of tamarind pulp and some water. Cover the pan and leave to cook for a few minutes. Remove from heat and take away the lid. Wait 1-2 minutes before serving.
N.B! Before you start experimenting with flowers in your kitchen it is important to get an okay from a trustworthy source, such as the national institute of health in your country. Many flowers are unhealthy and must be avoided. The popular Calla lilies are for instance known to cause swelling of mouth and tongue, throat ache, eye pain, diarrhoea, and vomiting.