Banana Blossom Salad

Salad Recipe: Mak Bea – Banana Blossom
1 cup shredded banana blossom
½ teaspoon chopped garlic
½ teaspoon chopped chilies
1 tablespoon squeezed lime
1 tablespoon fish sauce
½ cup chopped green onions and cilantro

In a bowl, add 3 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of squeezed lime. Shred finely, in an angle, of only the purple layers of the banana blossom. Place the shredded banana blossoms into lime water and soak for 15 minutes. Drain water out. Combine with the rest of the ingredients and toss to make the Mak Bea Salad.

Banana blossoms are commonly added as a filling for rice paper spring rolls, and as a garnish for khao bune ba - fish curry noodle soup.

Long Bean Noodle Salad

Since the fibers of long beans are tougher than green papayas, you must crush the long beans with garlic and chilies until they are in small pieces before adding other ingredients.
Salad Recipe: Long Bean Noodle with Ba Dek4 chilies
1 clove garlic
1 cup long beans chopped into 1 inch lengths
1/4 cup tomato slices
2 tablespoons squeezed lime
2 tablespoons Salted Gourami Fish (ba dek)
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon MSG (optional)
1 to 2 rice noodle bundles (Sin Khao Bune)

Using the Thai / Lao Mortar & Pestle Set, crush chilies and garlic until they are separated. Add chopped long beans and crush with a pestle for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients in the mortar and mix all the ingredients. Cut rice noodles in half, add into mortar, and mix with spoon.