Best Minatamis Na Saging (Bananas) Recipe

Many people have established sweet food as their comfort food. One great choice in making sweet recipes is to use bananas as your main ingredient.

It is one of the greatest Plantains in the Philippines. There are about 1000 varieties of it, and they are known for having a unique and authentic taste, smell, and flavor. Saba or Cardava is an ingredient for most Philippine recipes.

On this note, if you are a sweet food lover, these recipes are perfect for you. This article tries to give you all the information you need. So, let's get into the details. 

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What are Minatamis na Saging Recipes?

Minatamis na Saging "sweetened Plantains," is a traditional Filipino dish, often served as a dessert or a snack during merienda.

In this recipe, Cardava is the main ingredient. It is a hybrid Plantain originally from the Philippines, known for its famous distinguishable and interesting taste, making it perfect as the "cooking Plantain." 

In this recipe, the process is very simple

• cut the saba in half,
• cook it in a sweet syrup (arnibal) or caramel syrup from the boiled brown sugar in water,
• bring to boil until cooked.

Some add pandan leaf to bring out more of its rich flavor. You can also add other ingredients like sago, langka, sweet potato, honey, condensed milk, and more to improve its taste.

There are many recipes out there like Banana Cue, Turon, Maruya, Sweetened Bananas, and more that you can try, but we suggest you first try the Perfect Sweetened Plantains.

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Ways to Cook Top Sweetened Plantain Recipes

For this dish, you can use different cooking methods. Here we prepared two of the easiest ways of cooking Sweetened Plantain to create a tasteful dish.

Stovetop

In this cooking method, you need to use a cooking pot. It is the most common type of traditional cooking, not just for sweetened bananas but also for almost all dishes. This technique requires you to do a step-to-step process, from boiling the water first, then orderly add all the ingredients. 

In this whole process of cooking, you get to decide how long you want to cook your dish and allow you to change the heat to either high or low. It is also very advantageous because as you watch your cooking, you need to mix over the recipe a little and wait for it to boil as the heat is evenly spread over the entire pot, avoiding burning the food.

Instant Pot

 Using an instant pot is an easier and simpler method of cooking than the previous one. You only need to do is place all the ingredients, including the Cardava, brown sugar, syrup, and pandan leaf, in the instant pot. Then set the exact cooking time for the dish.

Also, in using the instant pot method of cooking, it is necessary to use a multi-cooker. It will allow you to set how much time you need to cook the featured dish perfectly.

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Other Delicious Variants of Minatamis na Saging Recipes

Not yet satisfied with the classic taste of your dish. We prepared for plenty of other versions you might want to try with your version of the dish and level it up. 

Sweetened Bananas With Sago

One way to level up your dish is to add sago. Like the classic dish of sweetened Plantain, you have to cook the Cardava first, add the syrup, then add the sago.

Sago is needed to be cooked first before adding it to the featured dish. Sago is loved by many Filipinos, especially when boiled with sugar to give a sweet taste. After cooking the sago, you can now add it to your dish. 

Sweetened Saba With Coconut Milk

In this variant, add coconut milk to your dish. Coconut milk gives off a much tastier and creamier version of your dish. Aside from the health benefits that coconut milk can give, it adds fresh and natural flavor. Coconut milk can balance the sweetness of this recipe.

Like the other versions, you can add the coconut milk after cooking the sweetened Plantain or add while waiting for the dish to cook. Either way, adding coconut milk will improve your dish.

Sweetened Bananas With All-purpose cream

Another way to level up this dish is to use all-purpose cream. You can put a twist on your dish by adding an all-purpose dream. It will allow you to make a delightfully sweet and savory taste of the dish. 

Same as any other version, you can add the all-purpose cream after cooking the main dish. That will give you a sightful sweetened Plantain.

Sweetened Saba With Langka

Langka provides a sweet and fruity flavor that will enhance the taste of your sweetened saba. It is perfectly added to these recipes because they have a similar fruity texture. 

Cook the sliced pieces of langka in boiling water mixed with sugar to produce a sweet taste. Then, add it to your dish. Here you made another version of your very owned dish.

Sweetened Bananas With Kamote

Expect his type of variant to give you a kind of Halo-halo vibe of dessert. We often see this fruit dish and sweet potatoes together in Halo-Halo, so it is a perfect pair for each other.

Make sure to use the same process to make the sweetened sweet potato, just like making the sweetened Plantain. You can simultaneously cook this fruit and sweet potato with the brown sugar and pandan leaf in this version and then wait for it to cook.

Sweetened Plantain With condensed milk

This variation is just like the other version, and the only difference is that this will level up the dish's sweetness. Condensed milk is said to have five times more of the sweetness of sugar. It also gives a thick and creamy texture to the dish.

You may add the condensed milk to the dish or mix it with the dish while cooking in serving the dish.

Sweetened Plantain With Honey

If you want to have your dish to be sweeter, we advise you to use honey instead of sugar. Honey can lower your blood sugar level and provides many health benefits.

In using honey, you need to put a small portion of it since it is very rich in sweetness. In cooking, add it to the water with pandan leaf, syrup, and saba. Or you can also spread it on your dish.

Minatamis na Saging Con Yelo

The last version is dearly loved by many people, especially those in very hot places. You need to add milk, either the coconut milk, used in the previous version or evaporated milk in this recipe.

But first, before adding milk to the dish, make sure to have shaved ice with you. Please put it on the tip of your dish, then pour your milk into it.

Though maybe similar to Halo-halo, this dessert only has three ingredients to it. On occasions and gatherings after having their main dishes, this dish is very much appreciated.

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Trivia about Bananas

Did you happen to know that this plant is not a tree but considered a large herb? Yes, many people consider it as a herb and not a tree.

This fruit does not pick a season, and you can see anywhere and eat it anytime. It is a tropical fruit, meaning it is mostly grown in hot and humid areas.

It is one of the most consumed fruits in the United States as it is part of their diet. They said that in America, almost all households made sure to have this fruit in their home.

The recipes contain no fat and about 1 gram of protein, and 72 grams of carbohydrates. It is also a perfect source of many vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B6 and C, also potassium.

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Tips for Cooking Minatamis na Saging Recipes

To make your dish better, we provide you some tips to follow. If you need some suggestions on how to make the perfect dish, check these out:

• Make sure your market- purchased saba is ripe.
• If your Plantain is too big, cut it in perfect uniform sizes.
• In making the syrup, ensure not to overcook it and add exact measurements of the ingredients.
• Make your syrup thick to give a perfect texture to the dish and to look more visually delicious.

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Troubleshooting for these Recipes

It is impossible to avoid errors, so here are some solutions that can save your dish.

• As written in the suggestions, you must avoid burning the syrup, so make sure to cook it at a low heat temperature.
• If your dessert turns out to be too sweet, add water or milk and bring it to a boil again.

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Best Serve With

Ever wonder how desserts would taste if you eat them before the main dishes? No, right? So we give you some other great dishes to perfectly match with your fruit dish.

Ginataang Sitaw- is a vegetable dish that will compliment and look forward to a refreshing and sweet taste of the featured dish.

Lengua- has a creamy sauce kind of dish that is perfect with our dessert in balancing the palette flavor and texture of the dishes.

Calderetang Kambing - is a goat dish with a bit of spice flavor that compliments the sweetness of your dish.

Homemade Fishball- if you wish to have a street-food theme of merienda, have this with our featured dish to achieve your goal.

Sinigang na Bangus sa Miso- is a fish dish that has a sour flavor that can complement the sweetness of our featured dish.

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Conclusion

Not many dishes can be as easy and simple to make at the same time delectable as the Perfect Sweetened Plantain. It will be very easy to make one if you have all the ingredients, know the preparations, procedures, cooking methods, and other variations. 

This article will help you provide all the information you need to make your version of this unique dish that you can surely enjoy with your friends and family.

Start moving, get, and buy all the ingredients you need and start making your Perfect Minatamis na Saging. Satisfy your sweet cravings!

For more delicious recipe, visit Eat Like Pinoy!

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