Ingredients
Bananas
- 8saba bananas, or 8 firm plantains
- or firm cooking bananas
To fry
- oil, for deep frying
- 200 gdark brown sugar or muscovado
Equipment
- bamboo skewers
- a deep heavy pan
To serve
- hot, two or three per skewer, in the afternoon
Directions
- Use fruit that is ripe enough to be sweet but still firm to the touch. The sugar is not a coating applied afterwards: it goes into the hot oil with the bananas and caramelises around them.
- Use a deep heavy pan, stand back, keep children away, and never lean over the pan. Do not add water to the pan at any point, which would cause a violent eruption. Keep a pan lid within easy reach. Peel them, which is harder than peeling a dessert banana since the skin is tight.
- Cut off both ends, score the skin lengthways, and work it off in sections with your thumb. Pat them completely dry, since any water on the surface makes the hot oil spit violently. Heat about five centimetres of oil in a deep pan to around 170°C. Use a pan considerably deeper than the oil level, since the sugar makes it foam up dramatically.
- Fry the bananas for three or four minutes until they soften and take a little colour. This first stage cooks the banana through before any sugar goes in, since sugar added too early burns long before the fruit is soft. Sprinkle the brown sugar directly into the oil around the bananas, a handful at a time. Sprinkle it in gradually rather than tipping it in, and stand well back as it goes in.
- Turn the bananas gently with tongs so the caramel coats them evenly. Do not stir vigorously, which splashes molten sugar out of the pan. Take them out slightly before the colour looks right, since they keep darkening as they drain.
- Lift them out with tongs and set them on a rack or a greased tray, not on paper. Paper sticks fast to hot caramel and will not come off. Keep them separate rather than touching, since they fuse together as the sugar sets. Now the skewering, which is done while warm.
- Thread two or three bananas onto each bamboo skewer while they are still warm and slightly soft. Let them cool for a few minutes before eating. It sets to a hard brittle shell within five minutes. Serve them warm, which is when the contrast between crisp shell and soft hot banana is at its best. They go sticky and soften within an hour, so they are made and sold fresh.
Technique
- Saba, a Filipino cooking banana, holds its shape where dessert bananas collapse.
- The sugar goes into the hot oil and caramelises around the fruit.
- Hot oil and molten sugar together are genuinely dangerous, so stand back.
Substitutions
- Firm plantain in place of saba.
- White sugar, which gives a paler result.
Variations
- Kamote cue, the same method with sweet potato.
- Rolled in sesame seeds while the caramel is soft.
- Made with a jackfruit filling, closer to turon.
History
An afternoon merienda sold from carts across the Philippines, the sugar hardening into a brittle shell.
Frequently asked questions
What is Banana Cue?
Banana Cue is a street food from Philippines: saba bananas deep-fried in caramelising brown sugar and threaded on sticks. An afternoon merienda sold from carts across the Philippines, the sugar hardening into a brittle shell.
How long does Banana Cue take to make?
Banana Cue takes 10 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 skewers. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Banana Cue?
Yes, within limits. Firm plantain in place of saba. White sugar, which gives a paler result.
What is the most important thing to get right in Banana Cue?
Use a deep heavy pan, stand back, keep children away, and never lean over the pan. Do not add water to the pan at any point, which would cause a violent eruption. Keep a pan lid within easy reach. Peel them, which is harder than peeling a dessert banana since the skin is tight.
