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Es pisang ijo (Makassar green banana dessert)
Bananas wrapped in green pandan dough, served over ice with coconut sauce and red syrup
Es pisang ijo, green banana ice, is the pride of Makassar in South Sulawesi. It is everywhere during Ramadan as the sweet that breaks the fast at sunset, and sold year-round from stalls by the Losari waterfront. A whole steamed banana is wrapped in a thin, soft jacket of pandan-green rice-flour dough, sliced, laid on a pool of warm salty coconut porridge sauce, then buried under shaved ice and a sharp pink syrup. Cold, warm, salty, sweet and fragrant, all in one bowl. It is naturally egg-free: rice flour cooked with coconut milk and pandan juice makes a smooth, pliable dough that binds without any egg, and a little more rice flour thickens the sauce. Chef's tip: use firm but ripe bananas with a few freckles; the common mistake is very soft ones, which turn to mush inside the dough while steaming.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 firm ripe bananaspeeled, ideally plantain-type
For the green dough
- 5 ½ oz rice flour
- 1 tbsp tapioca starch
- ¾ cup pandan juicefrom 10 leaves blended with water and strained
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
For the coconut sauce
- 1 ¾ cups coconut milk
- 1 oz rice flour
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 pandan leafknotted
To serve
- 14 oz shaved or crushed ice
- ¼ cup red rose syrup
- 1 ⅜ oz sweetened condensed coconut milk (optional)
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Put 5 ½ oz rice flour, 1 tbsp tapioca starch, 1 tbsp sugar and ¼ tsp salt in a non-stick pan and whisk in ¾ cup pandan juice and ½ cup coconut milk until smooth.
2 minStep 2: Stir over a low heat for 4–5 minutes, until it gathers into a soft, smooth ball that pulls away from the pan. Cool until you can handle it, then knead for 1 minute.
6 minStep 3: Divide the dough into four. Flatten each piece between two sheets of oiled cling film into a 2–3 mm thick sheet a little longer than a banana.
8 minStep 4: Lay one of the 4 firm ripe bananas on each sheet, lift the film to wrap the dough round it and pinch the seams closed. Wrap each tightly in a square of banana leaf or foil.
8 minStep 5: Steam over a high heat for 15 minutes, until the dough turns a deeper green and looks slightly glossy. Leave to cool.
15 minStep 6: Meanwhile, whisk 1 oz rice flour into 1 ¾ cups coconut milk with 2 tbsp sugar, ½ tsp salt and 1 pandan leaf in a pan. Stir over a medium-low heat for 6–8 minutes, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
8 minStep 7: Slice each wrapped banana into thick diagonal pieces. Spoon the warm coconut sauce into bowls and lay the slices on top.
3 minStep 8: Heap 14 oz shaved or crushed ice over the bananas, pour over ¼ cup red rose syrup and add a drizzle of 1 ⅜ oz sweetened condensed coconut milk if you like. Serve at once.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 77 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does es pisang ijo (Makassar green banana dessert) take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 35 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 firm ripe bananas?
- Mango, same weight (in smoothies and shakes).
- What can I use instead of coconut milk?
- Single cream, same amount (not dairy free).
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