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Pisang epe
Pisang epe: Makassar's pressed, grilled bananas with warm palm-sugar and pandan syrup
Along Losari Beach in Makassar, South Sulawesi, evening stalls grill firm bananas over coals, press them flat between two boards, grill them again and drown them in palm-sugar syrup. Epe means pressed. The bananas turn smoky and dense, almost like baked plantain, and the syrup is often flavoured with pandan, durian or chocolate; this is the pandan version. Chef's tip: use bananas that are just ripe and still firm, or plantains just turning yellow; soft bananas fall apart when you press them.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the bananas
For the syrup
Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Simmer 4 oz palm sugar, ½ cup water, 2 pandan leaves and 1 pinch salt over a medium heat for 5 minutes, until syrupy and fragrant. Stir in 3 tbsp coconut milk if using and keep warm.
6 minStep 2: Heat a griddle pan or barbecue to medium-high. Brush 4 firm just-ripe bananas or yellow plantains with 1 tsp vegetable oil and grill for 3 minutes, turning, until lightly charred and softened outside.
4 minStep 3: Place each banana between two sheets of baking paper and press firmly with the base of a heavy pan to flatten to about 1 cm. Common mistake: pressing raw bananas; they split instead of flattening.
3 minStep 4: Return to the grill for 2 minutes a side, until marked with dark lines. Serve hot, with the syrup poured over.
4 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 220 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 54 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pisang epe take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 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 palm sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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