Steamed Banana in Coconut Milk

Name: Steamed Banana in Coconut Milk
Ingredients: 2 pc ripe bananas; 75 gr sugar; 400 ml thick coconut milk; 1 pack vanilla flavor instant pudding; ½ tsp salt; 6 pc Banane leaves, 20 x 25 cm, to wrap-in

Origin: Jogjakarta; Source: Lucia Indarwati

Ingredients

2 pc ripe bananas
75 gr sugar
400 ml thick coconut milk
1 pack vanilla flavor instant pudding
½ tsp salt
6 pc Banane leaves, 20 x 25 cm, to wrap-in

Steamed Banana in Coconut Milk

This is a the special dish from Jogjakarta: Carang Gesing, a dessert which is made from banana, wrapped and steamed also in a banana leaf. This light dish is one of my family's favourites, including my parents-in-law.

Anyway … I came accross this dish when we were visiting my cousin's in-law in Jogja. Once we arrived, the host alias Luci's mother greeted us along with Carang Gesing which's just shortly cooked. It means..it's still hot and with banana leaf's fragrant spreading arround the room. Hmmmm ..what an Asian temptation!!

Without hesitation my husband grabbed quickly what he later call "exotic delicacies". He had even finished 2 pcs at once!! ;-)). Falling in love at the first time, he didn't waste the time and told me to ask the host lady how to make & prepare this dish. To make it short…this sweet dish has been a favourite ever since. In fact I'm proud to serve this dessert to make lovely dinner for family members and close fiends. Are you curious? It's worth trying though! The cooking process is quite simple & easy. But the taste?? .. hmmm it's simply delicious!!.

Note: For those who live in Western countries, there may be problem to get a banana leaf, because this item is not available in all Asian stores. As solution use Aluminium-Foil as a subtitude. Of course alu-foil can not replace the fragrant of banana leaves. If necessary you can just put the batter into ramekins then steam or put into the microwave until the batter getting hard (about 5 minutes)

Last but not least … Thanks & Credit goes to Lucia Indarwati for sharing this recipe.

Instructions

Peel-off bananas and cut about 1 cm thick. Mix the sugar, coconut milk & vanilla flavor instant Pudding in a bowl.
Add the sliced banana. Add salt to taste and adjust the seasoning. Mix well.
Put 2 tbs of the mixture in the middle of banana leaf, then wrap it properly.
Secure the wrapping with tooth pick or stapler.
Steam it for 30 minutes until the batter is well cooked.
(Otherwise see the above Tips & Trick in case of using Pyrex /Ceramic glass). Serve Your Steamd Banana warm or cold.

Additional Notes & Tipps

Fresh banana leaf is particularly stiff and easily torn when it is bent or fold. Therefore it is suggested to soften them before using. There are two ways in practice. Choose one which is easy & suitable for you.
(1st). Soak the banana leaf in hot water about 3-5 minutes until the leaves are getting soft and change color slightly, then wipe it dry with a paper towel or a kitchen tissue to remove the dirt.
(2nd). Wash and heat over the steam cooker or pass it over the flame of a gas stove or a hot electric burner.

Endang Lestari

Keyword banana, banana leaves, coconut milk, steamed banana