Steamed Banana Bread

 

After buying 2 big bunches of pisang berangan from the farmers' market, my neighbour gifted me with a big bunch of pisang raja. My daily ritual after waking up is to drink a cup of water and after 30 minutes eat 2 pisang berangan. So I kept the pisang berangan for eating them raw and use the pisang raja to make banana bread. Instead of the usual method of baking, I steamed the banana batter instead, thus, steamed banana bread.

Ingredients:

• 275 g banana  (4 big bananas)
• 2 grade A eggs
• 100 g milk
• 95 g melted butter or corn oil
• 75 g sugar
• 185 g all-purpose flour or cake flour
• 3 g baking soda
• 2 g salt

Method:

• Mash the banana and leave it aside.

• Break and whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl.

• Add milk and continue to whisk.

• Add melted butter and whisk till it is incorporated into the eggs and milk.

• Add sugar and whisk till it dissolves.

• Add flour and use a spatula to mix it with the liquids.

• Add baking soda and salt. Mix till all ingredients are well incorporated.

• Get the steamer ready by starting to boil water in it.

• Scoop the batter into small metal bowls. If you do not have them then pour the batter into 9 inch x 4 inch x 4 inch loaf pan. Do not fill the batter to the top edge of the pan. Instead leave about 1 inch. If there is too much batter, then scoop them into muffin cups.

• Steam the batter over medium heat. If you are using metal cups or muffin cups, then you need to steam the batter for 20 minutes. However, if you are using a loaf pan, then steam the batter for 45 minutes.

• Test for doneness with a wooden skewer.

• Remove the bread from the steamer when done.

Tip: If you cannot finish the steamed banana bread, slice it up and keep the slices in the freezer. When you want to eat them, let them return to room temperature. You can toast the slices so they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It is very delicious eating the banana bread this way.

Kuih Lepat Pisang

 

Kuih Lepat Pisang, a traditional kuih, brings back my childhood memories. I used to eat this kuih when I was very small as it was easily available in the market. However, it is not available in the cities. But thank goodness this kuih is very easy to make; we need to just mix the ingredients and steam. The only problem is finding the banana leaves unless you grow banana trees in your compound. I had difficulty to find the banana leaves even in the pasar tani or farmers' market. I was told they were reserved by business owners selling kuih and banana leaf rice. When I went round the market asking for banana leaves, one seller was kind enough to take out one stack from those reserved by one of his customers.

Ingredients:

• 400 g mashed bananas (I use pisang awak.)
• 75 g all-purpose flour
• 10 g rice flour
• 25 g sugar
• 6 g salt
• 60 g coconut flakes
• 7 pieces of banana leave (6inch x 8inch)

Method:

• Prepare the banana leaves. After cutting them into the desired size, wash them and boil them to soften them. Or, you may run each piece over a small fire to soften it.

• Add mashed bananas, all-purpose flour, rice flour, sugar and salt to a mixing bowl.

• Mix the ingredients till they are well incorporated.

• Take a piece of banana leaf, scoop a spoonful of banana mixture and place it onto the centre of the banana leaf.

• Use the spoon to space it evenly on the leaf.

• Use a teaspoon to place the coconut flakes onto the banana mixture.

• Roll up the banana leaf from one end to the other. Then flatten it slightly.

• Fold the ends neatly under the wrapped mixture.

• Prepare a steamer and boil the water in the steamer.

• Once the water has boiled, place the wrapped banana mixture onto the steamer tray and the tray into the steamer.

• Steam for 20 minutes.

• When done, remove the kuih from the steamer and let them cool down.

• Serve.

Note: If your bananas are not too ripe, then reduce the flour. The above amount is for bananas which are very ripe.

Pulut Pisang

 

     

Pulut Pisang can be easily found in the northern part of West Malaysia. It comes in 2 types - one in white glutinous rice and the other in a mix of black and white glutinous rice. They are both rich, delicious and savoury. The unique feature of this kuih is that it is made and sold in pairs.

Ingredients:

• 500 g white glutinous rice or 400 g white glutinous rice + 100 g black glutinous rice
• 300 g thick coconut milk
• 60 g sugar (May add more for a sweeter kuih)
• 7 g salt
• 3 pandan leaves, optional
• 5-6 bananas, sliced into halves
• 10-12 pcs of banana leaves measuring 6 inches x 8 inches
• Butcher's string

Method:

• Soak the glutinous rice for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.

• Prepare the banana leaves. After cutting them into the desired size, wash them and boil them to soften them. Or, you may run each piece over a small fire to soften it.

• Steam the glutinous rice till it is cooked or half cooked. If it is fully cooked then the final steaming will take only 25-30 minutes. But if it is half cooked then the final steaming will take about an hour.

• Add santan, sugar, salt and pandan leaves (optional) to kuali. Heat up the santan till it just boil. Do not keep on boiling santan as the oil will separate from it.

• Add the glutinous rice and stir to ensure it is coated with the santan.

• Once the pulut is ready, let it cool down.

• Take each piece of banana leave. Place some pulut onto it and spread it out. (I used 88g of pulut for each piece of kuih.)

• Place a piece of banana onto the centre.

• Fold the banana leave over the pulut and keep on rolling over till the pulut is secured.

• Fold the 2 edges of banana leave under it.

• Take another piece of banana leave and do the same.

• Once you have made a pair, tie both pieces together (the bottom facing each other) with, preferably a butcher's string or rice dumpling string.

• Repeat till all the glutinous rice has been wrapped.

•  Heat up water in the steamer.

• Once the water has boiled, place all the wrapped kuih onto the metal rack in the steamer.

• Steam the kuih for 30 minutes or 1 hour.

• Remove the kuih from the steamer and let it cool down.

• Serve.