Fabuloso Fried Machu Picchu Bananas
by Dylan Sabuco
Photo by Candice Bell/Shutterstock.com
prep time
5 minutes
cook time
10 minutes
makes
6-11 servings
Fabuloso Fried Machu Picchu Bananas
A dash of sweet, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and suddenly everyone’s going BANANAS!
Happy & Healthy Cooking,
Chef Erin, Food-Geek-in-Chief
Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills
- chop :
to cut something into small, rough pieces using a blade.
- measure :
to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).
- pan-fry :
to fry in a pan in a small amount of fat.
- simmer :
to cook a food gently, usually in a liquid, until softened.
Equipment Checklist
scale
1X
2X
3X
4X
5X
6X
7X
Ingredients
Fabuloso Fried Machu Picchu Bananas
- 2 bananas **(for BANANA ALLERGY sub 1 C frozen pineapple chunks)**
- 2 T cornstarch
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3 T granulated sugar
- 1 T unsalted butter **(for DAIRY ALLERGY sub coconut oil or dairy-free/nut-free butter, like Earth Balance Brand)**
Food Allergen Substitutions
Fabuloso Fried Machu Picchu Bananas
- Bananas: Substitute 1 C frozen pineapple chunks for banana.
- Dairy: Substitute coconut oil or dairy-free/nut-free butter for unsalted butter, like Earth Balance brand.
Instructions
Fabuloso Fried Machu Picchu Bananas
1.
chop + measure + mix
Chop 2 bananas into large dice. Place the diced bananas in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Stir gently until the bananas are coated.
2.
sprinkle + melt + fry
Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of sugar across the bottom of a small saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Add the coated bananas over the top of the sugar and then add 1 tablespoon of butter. Cook for 5 minutes before stirring. The sugar will be melting and the bananas caramelizing by this point. Continue to cook on low heat, gently stirring for another 5 minutes. Serve these glossy Fabuloso Fried Machu Picchu Bananas atop some ice cream or alongside the Cinnamon Dusted Peruvian Churro Bites (see recipe)! Enjoy!
Photo by Daria Lixovetckay/Shutterstock.com
Hi! I'm Banana!
“I'm such an 'a-peeling' fruit, I'm just going to have to tell you a little about myself! Bananas are very popular. We're long and curved, and we typically have a yellow outer layer (like some raincoats!) called a peel or skin. After peeling a banana, you can eat it whole; slice it into cereal, salads, or desserts; and mash it and put us on toast or add us to pancake or banana bread batter. Be careful not to throw your banana peel on the floor, or someone might slip on it!"
History
- The Latin scientific name for banana is "musa sapientum," or "fruit of the wise men."
- The first recorded mention of bananas is from the 6th century BCE. They were represented in Egyptian hieroglyphs.
- Bananas may have been Earth's first fruit and the first fruit cultivated by people. The first banana farms were in southeast Asia.
- The phrase "going bananas" came about because monkeys love bananas!
- India produces over 26 percent of the world's bananas. In the United States, Hawaii grows the most bananas.
- There are a few cultures, especially Japan's, where the fiber from the banana plant is used to make fabric and sometimes even paper.
- The world's record for the longest banana split is 4.97 miles. In March 2017, Innisfail, Australia, residents made it using 40,000 bananas, 660 gallons of ice cream, and 528 gallons of topping. It took hundreds of volunteers 12 hours to prepare the banana split.
- People like their bananas! Worldwide we eat more than 100 billion bananas each year! Of those, Americans annually eat about 27 pounds of bananas per person. But we don't eat as many bananas as the Ugandan people. Their average consumption each year is 500 pounds per person!
Anatomy & Etymology
- What appears to be a banana tree is actually an herbaceous flowering plant (the world's largest).
- A banana plant can grow an inch or more while you sleep at night, eventually growing from 10 to 25 feet high.
- Botanically, a banana is a berry.
- Since commercially-grown bananas do not contain seeds, you cannot grow a banana from seed unless you can find someone who sells seeds from the wild fruit. Otherwise, new plants are grown from offshoots or suckers of the banana plant.
- A single banana fruit is called a finger, and a cluster of fruit is called a hand. There are 10 to 20 fingers on each hand.
- About 75 percent of a banana's weight is water.
- Because bananas are less dense than water, they are able to float.
- Wild banana varieties include bubblegum pink bananas with fuzzy skins, green-and-white striped bananas with orange sherbet-colored flesh, and bananas that taste like strawberries when cooked.
- The word "banana" may have come from the West African Wolof word "banaana," through late 16th century Portuguese or Spanish. However, it could have come from the Arab word "banan," meaning finger.
How to Pick, Buy, & Eat
- Bananas ripen best if growers pick them when they are still green.
- Don't separate a banana from the bunch if you want it to ripen more quickly.
- Putting bananas in a sealed container, like a brown paper bag, will hasten them to ripen, especially if you add another type of fruit to the bag.
- You may have noticed that organic bananas often come with plastic wrap around the top stems of a bunch, but you can also wrap yours at home. Tightly wrapped stems will help bananas last three to five days longer.
- Try peeling a banana from the bottom up toward the stem to avoid dislodging the stringy vascular tissue running down the length of the fruit inside. Those strings are called "phloem" (pronounced "flom").
- Banana peels are actually edible if cooked.
- Once you peel a banana and it comes in contact with air, it can begin to turn brown. Sprinkling lemon or pineapple juice on a cut banana will prevent this.
- Don't be surprised that the banana peel turns brown or black after being refrigerated—it won't affect the fruit inside. This darkening happens because the cold breaks down the skin's cell walls and causes compounds in it to oxidize.
- You can put ripe or overripe bananas in the freezer and then add a frozen banana to your blender when making a smoothie instead of ice. You can also insert a popsicle stick into one end of a banana, freeze the banana, then dip the frozen banana in chocolate melted with a little oil. If desired, roll the coated banana in toppings like nuts, coconut flakes, or sprinkles, then refreeze for a chocolaty, nutritious frozen dessert.
Nutrition
- Bananas contain vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and vitamin B6.
- Bananas have 31 percent of the daily value of vitamin B6! This vitamin strengthens your nervous and immune systems. It also is needed for your body to make serotonin, a hormone that elevates mood.
- About half of all people allergic to latex may also be allergic to bananas.
History of Fried Bananas!
Photo by nelea33/Shutterstock.com
- Fried bananas and plantains may have originated in the 16th century. Bananas and plantains are grown in Africa, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia. Plantains are a type of cooking banana. They have less sugar than bananas and are not eaten raw but used as cooked vegetables.
- Fried sweet bananas are often served as a dessert. They may be coated in a sweet batter first or caramelized in cinnamon sugar before frying. Banana fritters are also a savory side dish in Southeast Asian countries.
- Plantains may be chopped or sliced and deep-fried in oil until crisp or battered before frying. The spices in the batter vary in type and heat depending on where they are made. They can be served as a savory snack, starter, or side dish.
Let's Learn About Peru!
Photo by Ruslana Iurchenko/Shutterstock.com
- Peru is the third largest country on the South American continent, after Brazil and Argentina. It is on the western coast, next to the Pacific Ocean.
- Peru shares borders with five countries: Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, and Chile.
- Lima is Peru's capital and largest city. The country's official languages are Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, and other indigenous languages.
- Peru is a unitary presidential republic with a president, vice-president, prime minister, and congress. Its currency is the Peruvian sol.
- The land area of Peru is 496,225 square miles. It is larger than the state of Texas but smaller than Alaska. Over 34 million people live in Peru.
- Peru's landscape has beaches, deserts, mountains, and rainforests. Most people live along the coast, where the capital, Lima, is located.
- Machu Picchu, the "lost city of the Incas," is located in Peru and is one of the World's New Seven Wonders. It was built by hand in the Sacred Valley over 8,000 feet above sea level and rediscovered in 1911. You have to hike or take a bus to get to Machu Picchu.
- The Giant Andean Condor is the largest flying bird on Earth and can be found in Peru.
- Guinea pigs are a delicacy eaten in Peru! They are called "cuy" (pronounced "Coo-wee").
- The Amazon River starts in Peru and runs through six other South American countries. Some consider the Amazon the world's longest river; however, other experts say that honor belongs to the Nile River in Africa.
- The Andes mountain range, at 4,300 miles, is the longest above-water mountain range in the world. It runs through seven countries, north to south, including Peru.
- Over half of Peru is covered by forest, much of it rainforest.
- Peru is home to an extensive and diverse selection of plants and animals. Yet Peruvians have not impacted their natural world like many other countries, and many of these ecosystems have been undisturbed.
- Did you know that in less than half a square mile of the Peruvian rainforest, there are more than 6,000 kinds of plants?
- Some of the main crops of Peru have been cultivated for thousands of years. A few of those crops are quinoa, potatoes, beans, peppers, maize, and tomatoes. The potato originated in Peru.
- Peru's cuisine has been influenced by its indigenous population, including the Inca, and cuisines brought in by colonizers and immigrants from Europe, Asia, and West Africa. Without familiar ingredients from their home countries, immigrants modified their traditional cuisines with those native to Peru.
- "Chifa" (CHEE-fa) is one of these cuisines, combining foods Chinese immigrants brought to Peru in the 19th and early 20th centuries with Peruvian ingredients.
- "Ceviche" (seh-VEE-chay) is a seafood dish that originated in Peru. Chunks of raw, fresh fish are marinated in key lime juice, seasoned with chili peppers, coriander, julienned onion, salt, and pepper.
What's It Like to Be a Kid in Peru?
- Peruvian kids attend school from March to December. Peru is in the Southern Hemisphere, so its seasons are opposite those of the Northern Hemisphere, with summer months from November to March.
- Families are close in Peru, and kids enjoy family gatherings with many relatives.
- Peruvian kids like to play a game called Sapo, where they try to toss coins into holes on top of a box. The winner is the first to get a coin into the frog's mouth (one of the holes in the box). Kids also enjoy playing with marbles.
- Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Peru, so you can often find kids playing football together. They may also play volleyball or basketball.
- There are several sweets kids like to eat. "Alfajores" are Spanish sandwich cookies filled with dulce de leche. "Picarones" are Peruvian doughnuts made from squash and sweet potato. They are often covered with "chancaca," a syrup made from the raw sugar of the sugar cane with added orange zest. Finally, kids may have ice cream or shakes made with "lúcuma" (an Andean fruit) for a cool treat.
That's Berry Funny
"Knock, knock!"
"Who’s there?"
"Ben and Anna."
"Ben and Anna who?"
(no answer—Ben and Anna (banana) split)
The Yolk's On You
What kind of key opens a banana?
A mon-key!
That's Berry Funny
What would you call two banana skins?
A pair of slippers.
That's Berry Funny
Why are bananas never lonely?
Because they hang around in bunches!
