Minatamis na saging

We actually brought the turon to a Filipino birthday party last weekend which called for "bringing a plate" (which means bring a food item here in New Zealand). Many of the guests did not know it came from us, so while I was doing my rounds on the food table, I heard some diners say delightedly, "uy turon!" "paminsan-minsan lang yan!"

It was one of the food items that was promptly gobbled up. We're so happy!

Well, we still have some cooking bananas left (it's called banana plantain at New World) so we decided to cook up some minatamis na saging (sweetened bananas). Another very simple recipe and yet it's a truly delightful thing to have on the table. You can have it as panghimagas (dessert) or eat it as anytime. The slices can also be cubed further and added to a Filipino summer delight: the halo-halo.



Ingredients:
Three medium saba, roughly chopped into bite-size pieces
5 heaping tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons water

Procedure:
Place all ingredients on a pan over medium heat. Mix lightly once to coat the banana slices with the sugar and water. Cover and let cook. The sugar will promptly turn to syrup and cook the bananas. This will take around 8-10 minutes. Remove from fire and cool. This effectively preserves this sweet treat so you can have it in the course of the next few days, if it can last that long.


July 05 update
I just remembered another way this is served. Cook whole bananas using above method, then set aside to cool. To serve, place banana on a bowl, add some crushed ice, then pour some of the sweet sauce on top. The crunchy ice and soft, sweet banana is a delight!

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