Summer is always the time when my brain is constantly thinking of some icy treats. Sure there’s tons of ice cream flavors (and brands) to choose from and a whole lot of frozen treat options available in North America. A lot of times they do the trick, but there are these moments when my mind is set on a particular food and it’ll just keep hovering over me until I have a taste of it. That’s what nostalgic food does…..it’s a bad kind of craving. Haha!
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Luckily, there’s always plantain bananas in almost every mainstream supermarket so I don’t have to specifically go to an asian mart. They’re the ones near the eating bananas but have a tougher skin, individually sections with a duller yellow color. When I make this recipe, I mix up the ripe and the overripe bananas because I like the texture contrast – softness (almost mushy from the overripe) and a bit of chew from the perfectly ripened ones. Choose bananas according to your preference, depending on the texture you want. Most times, they’re sold a bit underripe. Just let it sit on the counter and check daily until it’s the firmness that you like.
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There are different ways of making this recipe. Some cook it whole (which I would if I’m using those small saba that we have in the Philippines), slice it lengthwise and some even add some sago (tapioca pearls) to it. I just prefer it this way. At times, I even intentionally mush some to thicken the syrup more. This is especially delicious in Saging Con Yelo ….. so good! Add a good amount of this at the bottom of a tall glass, pack some crushed ice over then a generous pour of evaporated milk and topped with a little more of these sweetened bananas on top for good measure. Now, I’m craving again!
Use the rest in Halo-halo with your favorite ingredients or simply serve with a few scoops of your favorite ice cream.
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Minatamis na Saging (Plantain Bananas in Sugar Syrup)
Ingredients
- 4 ripe plantains sliced into 1cm discs* see Notes
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- 2 cup water
- 2 pandan leaves knotted or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place the sugar, water and pandan leaves in a large pot and bring to a simmer. If using vanilla extract instead, do not add it yet.
- Add the bananas, stir and bring to a boil. Simmer (low to medium-low heat) for 15-20 minutes or until your desired softness is reached (I like mine a little mushy so I did 20 mins). Add vanilla extract during the last minute of cooking.
- Transfer to a lidded container and refrigerate until ready to use. Best ways to use it in Halo-halo, Saging con Yelo or as an Ice Cream topping.
[…] Filipino icy dessert. It’s a cinch to put together as long as its main ingredient is premade, the Minatamis na Saging (Sweetened Plantain Bananas). In the Philippines, we use a local cooking banana called Saba but I have been using Plantains […]