Fried Banana

This banana fritter or locally called “banana cue” because you can usually buy it in a stick. These are cooked by deep frying it with caramelized brown sugar.

Turon (Banana Roll)

A banana is usually sliced lengthwise into two, rolled in a sugar then wrapped with lumpia wrapper and then deep fried. Sometimes they add jackfruit to make it smells and tastes yummier. It is one of the favorite snacks of Filipinos.

Banana Con Yelo (Banana With Ice)

One of the best-sellers during summer, it is prepared by cooking/boiling it on a caramelized brown sugar until it is sweetened, and then they add crushed ice, and poured with evaporated milk in a bowl.

Boiled Bananas

Bananas can also be boiled either unripe or ripe. We call it “nilagang saging” (boiled banana). Unripe boiled bananas are usually eaten by dipping it first in sugar.

Nilupak, Nilubyan, or Lubi-Lubi in Ilocano (Pounded Banana)

It is usually prepared by pounding boiled unripe bananas using mortar and pestle. Brown sugar, grated coconut milk, and vanilla are mixed with it.

Sweetened and Cubed Banana

This is a major ingredient of the famous Halo-halo fiesta which is a number one favorite especially during summer. It's a mixture of a lot of ingredients like jackfruit, sago (pearl ball), nata de coco, pinipig (toasted and flattened young glutinous rice), gulaman (gelatin), ube/halaya, added with sugar, crushed ice, evaporated milk and many others. Sometimes a scope of ice cream and leche plan are added as toppings.

Cubed Bananas

These are also added on a local snack known as “paradosdos”, “bilo-bilo” or “tambo-tambong” in Ilocano (rice balls with coconut milk).

Pochero: Mudfish, Pork, or Beef

A kind of stew with tomato sauce and mixed vegetables, “nilagang baboy o baka” (boiled pork or beef) and many other local dishes

Note: A variety/species of banana locally known as “saging na saba,” or plantain, is the kind of banana used in all the above-mentioned Filipino favorites.

Banana leaf is used for serving food. Banana tree has a pseudo stem and used as vegetable. The flowers of banana are also used in cooking.

Medicinal use:

1. The skin and pulp of raw banana fruit contains anti fungal substances. The well ripened fruit has both anti-fungal and anti bacterial properties.
2. The flowers of banana are cooked and consumed with curd to get relief from menstrual pain and excessive bleeding. The juice of banana flowers is effective in controlling dysentery.
3. The juice simply crushed out of core banana stem has got very good medicinal use. This is used in urinary disorders.
4. Consumption of raw juice alleviates the pain and discomfort in abdominal area. This acts on kidneys and liver to improve their functioning in excretion of more urinary substances. It removes toxins, crystals and stones in the kidneys, gall bladder and prostrate glands as well in the urinary passage.
5. Banana is a simple nutritive food that promotes digestion, maintains youthfulness. Generally, it is considered to be having natural anti-aging properties.

Enjoy a Surprising, Delicious Recipe!

Nendhran variety of banana is versatile in its use.

The Nendhran fruit as such is consumed or some semi ripe fruits after peeling are cut into thick pieces and mixed with jaggary or country sugar while shallow fried with coconut oil.

1. Banana Chips

   Just peel unripe Nendhran banana fruit and keep aside the peeled outer skin. The banana is sliced by a simple knife attached chipper. The thin banana slices are deep fried in coconut oil. These Nendhran chips are very famous and are flown to Arab countries almost daily. It is a good deep fried snack goes well for biting with evening tea.

2. Banana Candy

   The Nendhran banana chipped slightly thicker and divided into 4 bits of a slice and deep fired to have good biting sense while taking a tea.

3. Banana Vegetable Curry

   The skinned out banana peels are cut into small pieces and cooked; added with onion, chillies and salt and shallow fried to use as a side dish for the supper with rice.

4. Banana Sweet Porridge

   In temples, well ripened banana fruits are mashed and mixed with other fruits like dates, dried grapes and spices like cardamom to bring into a natural honey like soft and sweet dish offered to deities and later consumed by all devotees.

Banana is a natural body building nutrient rich fruit that is special in all special occasions.