Currying flavor at Banana Leaf Curry House

Ever entered a restaurant and not know what to order? I have.

But at Banana Leaf Curry House, it’s because everything on the menu is so genuinely tasty, I can never make up my mind! To begin with, Banana Leaf has one of the most practical and beautifully photographed menus with a grand spread of its entire menu line in full color. Very appetizing, indeed!

Together with family and friends, I’ve revisited the place over a dozen times since it first opened in September last year.

I’ve tried just about everything on the menu. My favorites are naturally the curry-inspired dishes.

Curry is a subtle blending of ground spices that enhance the flavor of the main ingredients. Different curry blends are made by combining various spices like shallots, garlic, lemon grass, cloves, cinnamon, cayenne, mustard, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, trassi, coriander root, turmeric, ginger, fenugreek seeds, lime peel, peppercorns, dried chilies and fresh coriander. Varying from hot to mild, the taste of curry varies according to the proportion of spices used.

Curry-making is an art which originated in India. The word turcarri is a Hindustani word shortened to turri, and in Anglo-Saxon usage, it simply became known as curry.

The best curries are found in Southeast Asian countries. Curry dishes are best eaten with the hands, accompanied with delightful sambals, chutneys, relishes and curry condiments.

Although bland, the ideal accompaniment for curry is steamed rice as it lessens the hotness of the curry mix. Curry dishes are excellent when eaten with flat and unleavened bread like roti, parathas, chapati, puris and poppadums.

My dentist friend Dr. Larry swears by Banana Leaf Curry House’s green curry chicken Thai-style, but for me, it’s always a tossup between that and the Malayan chicken curry. When I indulge, it is always with a heaping serving of steamed white rice, but I always find dipping freshly-made roti canai in the curry sauce a delight!

The roti is a coarser and thicker version of the chapati, which is a type of flat bread made of wholemeal flour combined with milk and water. Through the glass window of the kitchen, one views in amusement a Malaysian chef tossing the roti dough up in the air the way an Italian chef would a pizza crust.

Another popular dish is the Hainanese chicken rice, which my daughter Karla Marina considers a must. As a complement, a side order of stir-fried kangkong with sambal belachan prepared with a slight tinge of chili goes with it well. Savor a plateful of Penang char kway teow, made from rice noodles mixed with seafood, bean sprout, chives and egg.

Once, I came for lunch with former school chums Maritess, PeeWee and Nanette and we sampled the Chinese turnip cake cooked with bean sprouts and chives and enjoyed it, too.

My brother Gerry always prefers the barbecue roasted whole baby pork spareribs, while my sister Marijo never fails to order nasi goreng nenas, which is curry-flavored pineapple fried rice cooked with chicken, shrimp and Chinese sausage served on a pineapple fruit shell.

Even my four-year-old nephew Benjo has his favorites: satay chicken, gai haw bai toey, which is chicken wrapped in pandan leaves, and the deep-fried marinated chicken wings, which are served always light and crispy. For appetizers, the vegetable samosas and the crispy spring roll Vietnamese-style are perfect choices.

However, my dad’s memorable all-time favorites are the stir-fried clams with chili sauce, the Banana Leaf fish head curry and the Malayan curry fried crab, all ideal Lenten delights. Other dishes that come highly recommended are the spicy king prawns in sarong and the fried crab with sweet basil leaves and chili.

Banana Leaf Curry House is located at the ground floor of The Plaza Bldg., Greenbelt, Ayala Center in Makati. For reservations, call 812-1475, 812-86-18 and 812-68-81.