Raw Banana & Ginger Pudding
Usually when I indulge in dessert beyond fruit it is a spur of the moment bakery purchase or a few squares of dark chocolate that I keep tucked away in the fridge. I try not to keep much on hand because…I will eat it. However, this is one dessert that will leave you feeling guilt free!
This dish was inspired by my keen ability to buy too many bananas. Almost every time I shop at the market I over estimate my banana consumption by roomy margins. Recently, I have been trying to only buy enough for 1-2 days in order to avoid a mushy brown mess in my fruit basket. Still failing.
So what can you do with those extra bananas? When I was in the United States I used to throw them in the freezer and then make banana bread on a rainy day, but most homes in the Philippines don’t have ovens, mine included. Here is a dish in the opposite direction, a pudding with a little spice and everything nice.
Ingredients: (makes about 3 servings)
- 3-4 medium sized bananas (overripe preferred)
- Small knob of ginger (estimate it to be 1tbsp)
- 2-3 calamansi limes
Preparation:
1. Peel the knob of ginger and roughly chop. Use a mortar and pestle to pound it into a paste. You should have about 1tbsp of ginger paste. If you don’t have a mortar & pestle just chop as finely as you can.
2. Peel and roughly slice your bananas into a large bowl. Then mash using the back of a fork until it’s fairly smooth.
3. Juice the calamansi into the mashed bananas, being careful to not loose the seeds. Add the ginger paste and mix thoroughly.
4. Taste for sweetness. If the bananas were overripe it shouldn’t need anything, but you can add sugar or agave syrup to taste.
5. Place the pudding mixture into a mold. I used a 1/2c measuring scoop. You could also use a cupcake sheet, small glass or just make one large pudding in a bowl.
6. Place the pudding into the freezer or fridge for 2+ hours to freeze or chill. When finished remove from mold by turning mold over on plate and lightly tapping till the pudding slides onto the plate. You do not have have freeze/chill the pudding, but it really makes it more of a special treat, especially on a hot day.
Spicy, tangy and sweet! Enjoy!
