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Loading...A beloved Cambodian street snack, small ripe sugar bananas are charred briefly over hot coals until their skins blister and the flesh turns silky and caramel-like. They are then split open and drowned in a warm coconut cream sweetened with palm sugar and perfumed with pandan. Served warm with toasted sesame seeds, it is the kind of simple, sweet treat you find at night markets across Phnom Penh.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time12 mins
Total Time22 mins
Servings4
Yield4 servings
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (estimated)
- 315 kcalCalories
- 16 gFat
- 11 gSaturated Fat
- 42 gCarbs
- 4 gFiber
- 22 gSugar
- 3 gProtein
- 180 mgSodium
- 480 mgPotassium
- 30 mgCalcium
- 1.2 mgIron
- 10 mgVitamin C
- 8 mcgVitamin A
Ingredients
For the Bananas
- 8 small ripe sugar bananas (Nam Va or lady finger variety), peeled
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
For the Coconut Cream Sauce
- 1 cup thick coconut cream
- 3 tablespoons palm sugar, finely chopped (or light brown sugar)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 pandan leaf, tied in a knot (optional)
- 1 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon crushed toasted peanuts (optional)
Directions
- Prepare the sauce first: combine the coconut cream, palm sugar, salt, and pandan leaf in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir gently and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes until the sugar fully dissolves and the cream thickens just enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, discard the pandan, and stir in the sesame seeds and peanuts if using. Keep warm.
- Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for medium-high heat (about 200°C / 400°F). Lightly brush the peeled bananas all over with the melted coconut oil and sprinkle with the salt.
- Place the bananas directly on the grill grates and cook for 6 to 8 minutes total, turning every 90 seconds with tongs, until they develop deep golden-brown grill marks and feel slightly soft when pressed.
- Transfer the grilled bananas to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, make a lengthwise slit down each banana, being careful not to cut all the way through, then gently press to open them slightly like a hot dog bun.
- Arrange 2 bananas on each of 4 small plates, opening them so the soft interior is exposed. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the warm coconut cream sauce generously over and around each banana.
- Sprinkle with extra toasted sesame seeds and crushed peanuts, and serve immediately while the bananas are hot and the sauce is warm. Offer any remaining sauce in a small jug for pouring.
- Eat with a spoon and fork (or just fingers, the street-food way), scooping the sauce-soaked fruit in every bite.
Cook’s Notes
- Pick bananas that are ripe and yellow with a few brown specks but still firm enough to hold their shape on the grill; very soft bananas will fall apart.
- Charcoal grilling gives the most authentic smoky flavor, but a cast-iron grill pan over high heat works well indoors.
- If sugar bananas (Nam Va) are unavailable, use small firm regular bananas and reduce the palm sugar by 1 tablespoon to avoid oversweetening.
- Serve the coconut cream warm, not hot; if it cools, gently rewarm it over low heat so it stays pourable.
- Eat right away — the magic of this snack is the contrast between the warm smoky fruit and the cool, sweet coconut sauce.
