Easy Banana Dessert Recipes

The term 'banana' usually refers to the 'dessert' banana with the soft and sweet flesh. The bananas that have firm and starchy flesh are called 'plantains,' or 'saba' in many parts of the Philippines. These bananas are from a group of cultivars, which taste somewhat blandly sweet. The unripe plantain banana fruits are dried and ground to make banana flour.

Plantain bananas can be cooked in many ways. Semi-ripe fruits can be boiled whole and unpeeled. Or cut into very thin chips, dried, and cooked with glazed sugar. Whole peeled semi-ripe banana are also deep-fried while sprinkling brown sugar on them. The result is one of the popular street snack food in the Philippines called 'banana cue' or fried banana on a stick.

Another popular afternoon snack is called 'turon.' Ripe banana slices, ripe jackfruit strips, and a dash of sugar are wrapped snugly in lumpia wrappers -- then deep-fried until crispy and golden brown. The crunchy turon is perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ripened plantain banana fruits are also cooked in thickly caramelized sugar. Sweetened banana, sliced or whole, can be eaten alone as afternoon snack. Placed on top of shaved ice and splashed generously with milk -- you got banana con yelo.

The mashed fruit of ripe plantain banana can be cooked as banana pudding. Or simply dip in thick batter made of flour and eggs before deep-frying.

The famous Filipino summer dessert called 'halo-halo' is not complete without the sweetened banana slices as one of the dozen (or more) ingredients.

Eat your banana dessert in style. Cut the deep-fried 'turon' in diagonal slices and serve with a mound of vanilla ice cream on the side. Create a classy background design with zig-zagging lines of pancake syrup and condensed milk.

'Turon' is very easy to cook. You will need to prepare only 5 ingredients: whole bananas cut into two, strips of ripe jackfruit, white or brown sugar, lumpia wrappers, and oil for deep-frying.

How to Cook: Roll one banana half on sugar and arrange on one end of the lumpia wrapper. Add a strip or two of jackfruit. Wrap carefully to make a roll. Set aside. Heat the oil in a semi-deep frying pan. Fry each roll until golden brown.

Traditional banana cakes often use the 'dessert' variety bananas. The soft banana flesh is mashed and mixed in flour with eggs, sugar, and some baking powder. A slice of banana cake is perfect with a cup of hot tea or coffee.

Bananas have different varieties and have different sizes and colors when ripe: yellow, light green, light brown, red, and purple. It is available all-year round because it is not seasonal. The top 5 countries in banana production are: India, Brazil, China, Ecuador, and the Philippines. The most important and the also the most exported of the banana cultivars is the 'Cavendish,' mainly because of the long shelf life rather than the taste.

Bananas to be exported are usually picked while green and unripe. They are brought and stored inside ripening rooms, which are air-tight and full of ethylene gas. The gas will induce rapid ripening process.

The vivid yellow color of bananas sold in supermarkets are caused by the artificial process of ripening. Tree-ripened bananas have brownish-yellow color and a much more superior flavor. However, their shelf-life will last 7 to 10 days only; unlike the ethylene-ripened bananas.

Banana Trivia: The word 'banana' originated from 'banan,' an Arabic word that means 'finger.

This pudding uses the Cavendish banana, not the plantain type. Easy to prepare but perfect to bring in pot luck parties.