Plantain is a blessed plant with all its useful parts. Banana is a delicious fruit and the plantain leaves are used instead of plates on auspicious days (Especially in South India) and special occasions when a complete elaborate festive menu of recipes are prepared. The plantain stem or banana stem is also one such part of this plant which has many benefits on consumption. 

Here are the benefits one can reap if you include banana stem in your diet.

1. Banana stem is full of fibre. Hence its is useful to maintain a healthy colon and keep digestive disorders at bay. This also keeps you fuller for longer because of fiber and helps when persons are on weight reduction.
2. Banana stem helps in detoxifying body through urine. Also, Kidney stones and stones in gall bladder can be brought under control with a regular consumption of plantain stem at least once a week. Persons prone to stone formations in kidney and gall bladder can also consume ground and strained juice of plantain stem mixed with lemon and cardamom everyday.
3. If the banana stem soaked in buttermilk is had on an empty stomach as a first thing in the morning, it effectively controls hyperacidity.
4. Plantain stem is also useful in bringing the urinary tract infection under control faster.
5. Enriched with Potassium and vitamin B6, plantain stem is very good for heart as well, and moderately helps in controlling cholesterol build up.

Prepping Banana stem

• Select the banana stem with a small inner cylindrical stem, since the smaller one is the tender one and can be prepared easily.
• Trim the top and bottom portions of the stem and also remove the outer covering on the stem until you get a cylindrical stem.
• As you start chopping the stem, the fiber comes out. Keep removing the fiber as you cut the stem to roundels. Later you can further chop the roundels to fine pieces.
• The stem is very fibrous and rich and iron; hence the chopped bits of stem need to be immersed in buttermilk immediately after chopping, or the pieces of stem redden when left in open air for long time.

Plantain Stem Recipes

Banana stem is widely used in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Coastal Karnataka and Parts of Andhra. There are recipes that start from simple stir fries to gravies which can be paired with rice and Indian flatbreads. This can also be combined with buttermilk while making chaas. It is a subtle tasting vegetative part which takes the flavour of spices it is combined with.