It’s Banana O’Clock!

Hello, everyone.　Let’s have a quiz. Are you ready?

Hint 1: This is a fruit. Hint 2: It’s sweet and cheap. Hint 3: It’s yellow and it’s famous in the Philippines. What’s this?

If you answered “banana”, you’re right!

I like bananas very much. Do you like bananas, too? There are a lot of bananas in my country. They are sweet, cheap, and good for you. You can eat them during breakfast or have them as a healthy snack.

In Japanese supermarkets, you can buy bananas from the Philippines. However, some people just throw bananas away when they already have black spots on them. Bananas become overripe too quickly and throwing them away makes me a little sad. I think that it’s such a waste to do this.

So, let me share some simple banana recipes that are delicious and easy to make.

"Simple Banana Recipes for You"

Banana Choco (Almond) Bread

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas. 1/2 cup oil (or butter). 2 eggs. 1/2 cup brown sugar. 1 1/2 cup flour. 1 tsp baking soda. 1 tsp salt. 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. 1/2 cup chocolate chips. 1/2 cup sliced almonds. (*You can also use walnuts or raisins for toppings.)

1) Mash bananas in a bowl. 2) Add eggs, sugar, and oil (*wet ingredients). Mix. 3) In another bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt (*dry ingredients). 4) Add the *dry ingredients to the *wet ingredients. Mix well. 5) Add the vanilla extract and chocolate chips. 6) Put the batter in a mold. 7) Put some chocolate chips and almonds on top. 8) Bake for 35-40 minutes at 180°F. 9) Check the bread with a baking stick or toothpick. If it’s clean, your bread is ready.

You can have it with tea or coffee. It’s really good!

Maruya (Filipino Banana Fritters)

Ingredients:

5/6 ripe bananas. 1 tsp cinnamon. 1/2 cup brown sugar. 1 cup flour. 1 tsp baking powder. 1/2 tsp salt. 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. 1 egg. 1 cup milk. 1 cup oil (for frying). powdered sugar/ cinnamon sugar (for *toppings).

1) Mash bananas in a bowl. Set aside. 2) In another bowl, put flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar and salt. Mix. 3) Add mashed bananas, egg, vanilla extract and milk. Mix well. 4) Heat the pan and put oil in it. 5) Using a spoon or a cup, take some batter (at least 1/2 cup) and put in the pan. Fry both sides until golden brown. 6) You can add powdered sugar (or cinnamon sugar) on top.

It’s a sweet banana treat that kids will love! Bon appetit!

Turon (Filipino Banana Rolls)

Ingredients:

4/5 ripe bananas. 8/10 spring roll wrapper(s). 1 cup brown sugar. 2 cups oil (for frying). sesame seeds (for *toppings).

1) Slice each banana into four pieces. Set aside. 2) Put sugar in a plate. Coat the bananas with sugar. 3) Put two slices of coated bananas on a spring roll wrapper. Roll them like spring rolls. 4) Put oil in a pan and heat it. 5) Fry the banana rolls until they are golden brown. 6) Add sesame seeds on top.

This is sweet, crispy, and delicious!

Try these simple recipes at home, too. They are delicious and very easy to make. Happy cooking!