Coco-banana : tastebud down memory lane

Back in the province, when times get rough on the sewn and the fabric that held good time and good food is torn out, my Grandmother always finds the reason to cook up a feast- with what you can basically find in a ne'er-do well country pantry. Off course, it is nothing matched against the pasta alla puttanesca or  those hard-to-pronounce foodies of the nearby neighbors, where the earthy smell of oregano and rosemary wafted through the air.

I always say to anyone who'll listen that one of the best inventions in the world is pasta. These herbs and spices here are our  constant sniff, especially when our neighbours would be attempting Julia Child.

Just this afternoon, after a rather satisfying meal of fried eggplant soaked in palm vinegar and soy sauce- another provincial inspired viand, which, I swear would match any Margarita Fores, my grandmother whose visiting me over for the holidays, thought of cooking ' pakro'- a Visayan term for unripe banana with coconut milk and sugar and memories, all thrown in a cauldron! I had a sneak peek over my past. The glorious days of the past, when everything seems simpler and not hurried. 

If you want to introduce new to your tastebud, allow me to share to you the recipe for the Coco-banana ( for lack of better term). My sweeties, forgive me if I dunno the exact tablespoons of anything because I don't normally cook.

You will definitely need:

 Off course, if you plan to feed the whole barangay, you will need this variety. But, for just a... sampler, you can cut down the number of pieces.

You should not boil this, silly! You have to uhhmm.. extract the milk out of it.

and,

Brown, Muscovado, whatever. Diabetics alert!

What to do next:

1. You are going to peel the green pigmented banana.

2. Slice, chop it to shapes that you can think off. We prefer the minimalist vertical-horizontal scheme.

3. Bring the water to a boil. 

4. Delicately slide the chopped, longitudinal banana into the boiling water.

5. Practice Zen by waiting patiently for the banana to soften

Meanwhile, while waiting for the boil, you will..

1. Extract the coco milk from pre-grated coconut through laborious kneading

2. Sprinkle  the sugar into the coco concoction

3. Taste, if you want.

Ultimately

1. Gradually pour the sugared coco milk into the pan.

2. Wait for the second boil ( in which case, the banana strips would be deliciously mushy, thus giving lapot.

3.  Flavor to taste.

4.  For the sweet tooth member of the family, separate the pan.

5. Enjoy while it lasts

P.S.

I cannot fully give you access to the finished product. What was left was the empty pan. :)

Xoxo

Ryan