Kottayam Banana Ghee Roast...;) vs. French Caramalised Bananas

This was my appa's (father's) favourite evening snack. I remember amma making this n' keeping his share aside as soon as she makes it coz otherwise I would have finished it in no time. So I guess I liked this as much as appa did. I miss my father terribly, so many decisions would've have been taken out of my hands, making life so much simpler. He loved taking over. :) He was intelligent, complex, shrewd n' vulnerable if that is possible. Irrespective of having been a terrible teenager n a rebel, every single day I hope he knew/knows how much I loved him.




Coming back to this recipe, Rj doesn't enjoy this at all n' I'm secretly pleased with that, coz I still love it just as much n' don't mind not sharing it with anyone. I'm not sure this can be called Banana Ghee Roast, coz you just doing a quick shallow fry than roast, but the name sounded so suggestive I couldn't resist using it. :) I must say I haven't made evening snacks since ages, that custom is just not followed in my home. I guess mainly coz when I was working, we both came back home only after 7.30-8.00pm almost everyday. So anyway, I saw the French Chef, Manu Fiedel, making Caramalised Banana Fry on TV n' just couldn't resist making the Kerala/Kottayam version of it. I will mention his version in a little more detail below. :) So here you go.

Ingredients:
1. Banana- 1no (preferably overripe ones)
2. Ghee- 1-2tsp (or more depending on how much juice you want in the end)

3. Sugar- for sprinkling

Method:

Step 1: Cut the whole banana into 2 or 3 depending on how long you want the slices to be. Slice each piece vertically (as seen in the snaps).

Step 2: Heat ghee in a frying pan, arrange the slices of banana without overcrowding it and shallow fry them.

Step 3: Arrange them in a plate n' sprinkle it with some sugar. And its ready. Serve it with some ice cream if you like to create a Dessert version of the snack.

The last time I went home, Amma made these for me using home grown bananas n' I swear the bananas were so sweet, I didn't have to add any sugar. Now for Chef Manu Fiedel's Version.

He used Butter instead of Ghee, used a lot more than my version. He added brown sugar into the hot butter first and then added the bananas whole instead of slicing it. To make the whole thing look a lot more exciting, he even flambé-d them in the pan ;) and served it hot with some vanilla ice cream. I must say it looked divine. But my craving for the home version, made me try that instead. Happy Cooking!!

I would like to thank Asha from A Tasty Challenge for the award she passed on to me.
Her blog not only has some really yummy recipes, but she had actually taken on a challenge to finish 262 recipes in 365days n' completed the same this May. I'm in awe, kudos to you Asha.

Grapes and Banana Smoothie- My 'Remember Me by Smoothie'

Ok...i realise i made a big mistake by telling who ever was asking me that it isn't all that hot out here in Bahrain yet....this was last week n' this week it's scorching hot n' humid out here n' RJ is travelling for 5 Days...that means i'm cooking for one...normally it's with great difficulty that i reduce the ingredients and make a meal for 2...

Now that i have to reduce to a serving of one...i'm failing miserably n' that also means i'm sorta overeating...;)...but i'm blissfully making things i love to have n' hence i refuse to notice the fat on my thighs...;)...during this week's shopping RJ was commenting that 'i'm like a girl in a candy store' next to the vegetable n' fruits counters...which he doesn't understand...you see...he is an affirmed meataholic.

Leaving all that aside...i decided to make a smoothie...when i utter the word smoothie what comes into my mind are those extremely beautiful berry drinks in amazing colors...but berries other than strawberry are so expensive out here...i won't be able to justify my overindulgence...we get blueberry, raspberry, blackberry and redcurrants...they all look pretty in their cozy small box... a box the size of my palm will cost nothing less than USD 6 or roughly Rs.270/-.

As usual i'm digressing....so i wanted to make a smoothie for RJ before he leaves n' decided to make do with some really ripe sweet black grapes n' extra ripe bananas....i saw some smoothie recipes were asking for it to be served in Hurricane glasses..didn't have a clue what they were n' decided to look it up only to realise that the glass we got when we ordered a cocktail in Hard Rock Cafe- London was a Hurricane glass...quickly made up my mind to serve this smoothie in that glass....this was sorta of my version of "Remember Me by Smoothie" for RJ... was pretty nice...quick fix, tasty n' cheap...Oolala...

Ingredients:

1. Black or Red Grapes: 2 handful (seedless)
2. Bananas : 2 large
3. Ice cubes: 1 cup
4. Milk: 1/4 cup
5. Mint Leaves: 4-5 (crushed) (optional)
6. Sugar : 3-4tsp (optional)

Method:

Step 1 : Place the bananas and grapes into a blender and mix until it is a "smooth" liquid.

Step 2: Add the ice and blend until crushed.

Step 3: Add milk and sugar n' crushed mint leaves if using, mix until smooth.

Step 4: Pour into a hurricane glasses and serve immediately.

Banana Bread- my first baking adventure

My first baking adventure, so to speak has to be this. I have never tried baking other than with Betty Crocker mix, i have never found the need to bake from scratch when BC has such an easy n' good cake mix made available. Well, all that changed when Ruby my friend baked some Banana Bread n' got it to office. I just loved how simple n' undemanding the bread/cake felt. What she gave us was more like a cake than a bread.

But i was inspired n' i just had to give it a try. The recipe i'm using is by a Pakistani cooking expert- Shireen Anwar. It is so simple, i baked it twice already. Mine came out exactly like a bread. Gave it to friends from office n' they said they liked it. We had it with some hot coffee in the morning n' it tasted even better...as usual i made this before heading off to work with little time to spare for a creative photograph. Pardon, the crinkly look on the side, it is coz of the baking paper i had used to line the baking pan which on my second try i realised was not even necessary. :(

Ingredients:

1. Banana: 3nos (medium)(mash it into a thick paste)- use the extra ripe ones if possible
2. Flour: 2 cups
3. Baking Soda: 1/4 tsp (i didn't have any with me, so i didn't use this)
4. Baking Powder: 1tbsp (since i didn't add baking soda i used 1 1/4 tbsp of baking powder)
5. Vanilla Essence: 1tsp
6. Oil: 1/2 cup (i used sunflower oil)
7. Caster Sugar: 3/4cup (i used brown sugar instead n' hence took 1cup)
8. Eggs: 2nos
9. Walnuts: 1 cup (broken/crushed)
10 Yogurt: 1/2 cup
11.Butter: 1tsp (mainly to grease the pan, add the extra bit into the mix)

Method:

Step 1: Grease a baking pan with butter and keep it aside. Pre heat the oven on 180°C.

Step 2: Mix all the ingredients other than flour, baking powder and walnuts. Beat everything together at a low speed. Don't over beat just enough to mix well.

Step 3: Add the flour n' baking powder in portions into the above mixing it at the same time to avoid any lumps to form.

Step 4: Add the walnuts and mix well.

Cooking time should be 45-50mins depending up on your oven. If required, check only after 35minutes to see if it's already done. Since i used brown sugar it wasn't very sweet and i liked it that way. So if you prefer your cakes sweet, use caster sugar itself.

All thanks to An Open Book (who let me know about this event) i'm gonna send in my first entry for an event. The event is Bake Off and it's hosted by Champa from Stories from an Indian Kitchen. Don't know if my entry will qualify, but no harm in trying i guess. :)