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Banana cue
Caramelised fried bananas
Banana cue: saba bananas fried in brown sugar until glassy, on bamboo sticks
Walk past any Manila school gate or jeepney stop around three in the afternoon and you will find a vendor turning saba bananas in a wok of bubbling oil and brown sugar. The sugar melts and clings to the fruit, setting into a thin, crackly amber shell over soft, slightly tart flesh, and the bananas are sold two or three to a bamboo stick. Sweet potato cooked the same way is called camote cue. Eat them warm with a glass of iced sago't gulaman. Chef's tip: add the sugar only once the bananas are already golden; sugar thrown in at the start burns black before the fruit is cooked through.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 8 saba bananasripe but firm, peeled (or small firm plantains)
- 2 cups vegetable oilfor frying
- 4 oz dark brown sugar
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat 2 cups vegetable oil in a wok or deep pan over a medium heat until a piece of banana dropped in fizzes gently, about 350°F.
5 minStep 2: Lower in 8 saba bananas and fry, turning now and then, until they are golden all over and a skewer slides in with little resistance.
8 minStep 3: Scatter 4 oz dark brown sugar over the oil around the bananas. It will sink, melt and bubble up; keep turning the bananas so they roll through the molten sugar.
2 minStep 4: Keep turning for 2–3 minutes more, until each banana wears a shiny dark-amber coat. Watch closely: once the sugar smells smoky it turns bitter fast.
3 minStep 5: Lift the bananas out onto a lightly oiled tray, let them cool for 2 minutes so the coating hardens, then thread two onto each of 4 bamboo skewers. The sugar is very hot, so keep small hands away until they have set.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 78 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does banana cue take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of saba bananas?
- Mango, same weight (in smoothies and shakes).
- What can I use instead of dark brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
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