Banana-Bud Paella

Name: Banana-Bud Paella
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon of annato (achiote) seeds; 2 teaspoons of salt; 6-8 trochus shells (optional), about 2 inches in diameter, well scrubbed; 1 banana bud, outer petals removed; 3 tablespoons of peanut oil; ½ pound of boneless pork round, cut into ½-inch cubes; 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped; 2 cloves of garlic, smashed, peeled and minced; 2 lup cheong (Chinese) dried sausages, sliced into 1-inch-long disks; 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced into thin strips; 1 large tomato, blanched, peeled and coarsely chopped; 2 cups of long-grain rice; 1 whole chicken breast, skinned, boned and cut into 1-inch chunks; 1 whole chicken breast, skinned, boned and cut into 1-inch chunks; 3 cups of clam juice; 1 bay leaf, torn into small pieces; ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper (Pohnpei’s own local product is preferred); 1 pint of fresh clams (with their liquor); 14 medium (31- to 40-count per pound) raw shrimp, shelled with the tails left attached

Preparation info

Serves
6 to 8

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Tradewinds & Coconuts

By Jennifer Brennan

Published 1997

About

This recipe finds an interesting use for the banana bud. Although one can barely call it paella, that is the name under which I discovered it. The mixture of seafood, sausage and chicken puts it within hailing distance of the saffron-flavored Valencian original. But this is the Carolines in Micronesia and they have domain over their own cuisine. I suspect this dish emigrated to the Carolines via the Philippines.

Ingredients

Pohnpei
Main course

Ingredients

Method