Pisang Goreng Keju // Battered Banana with Cheese and Milk Drizzle

This morning I made myself a very satisfying breakfast which takes me back to Ambon again. Yesterday, we bought Bananas or what they called Plantain. This is the kind of banana we used to fried at home – Pisang Goreng. I love Pisang Goreng or Battered Banana especially when you add shredded cheese and a drizzle of condensed milk on top. Aahh it’s heavenly.

Having this dish in the morning, remind me of my mother-in-law, Mama Nona, in Waai. My father-in-law, Papa Ucu, planted bananas and many other yummy goods and when they’re ripe he brought them home from “kabong”. Then the next morning, the whole house will woke up to the smell of battered fried banana. Usually, some will be still sizzling in the wok and some already plated up on  the table together with an army of tea glasses filled with hot tea.

I think for most Ambonesse, they will have similar experience or memories. Either of their mother, grandmother or sister frying the banana at home or buying it from little girls who walk around the village with a tray of fried banana on their head. Of course for this, we don’t put cheese. Cheese is certainly not our culture, apart from it is an expensive stuff. But all the same, the smell and the taste of fried banana remind me of my homeland, to my families, to mothers and women who wakes up every dawn to busy themselves preparing breakfast for their loved one. I wish one day, I can be such mothers too.

This morning, Peanut have a taste of Ambon.

Serve 2 – 3 people

Ingredient:

2 Plantains (big bananas) à My fave, if I am in Ambon, is Pisang Abu-abu

3 tbsp of all purpose four

1 tsp of sugar

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

¼ cup of milk or water à I used semi skimmed milk

1 cup of cooking oil

Topping if desire:

Shredded Cheese, best one is mild cheddar. In Indonesia we use Kraft which I presume a processed cheddar cheese.

Condensed milk to drizzle on top

Direction:

Mix the flour, sugar, salt, milk/water and baking soda until it formed a batter mixture.

Meanwhile heat the cooking oil in a deep pan or a wok.

Peel and cut the banana to the size you desire. I halved it lengthwise and cut into 3 parts.

Dip the banana into the batter and fry it in hot oil until golden brown

Take it out of the oil. Arrange on the plate. Scattered the Cheese on top of the bananas then drizzle the condensed milk on top of everything.

Enjoy!