Vietnamese Balloon Fried Bananas

Ingredients:

1 bunch of SABA bananas

75g plain flour

50g rice flour

15g tapioca flour

10g cornflour

25g sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tbsp baking powder

250ml water (iced cold)

15g butter ~ melted

1 tbsp white sesame seeds

1 tbsp black sesame seeds

Oil for frying

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients, except bananas and vegetable oil, until smooth.  Let the batter rest for 10 mins.
2. Peel the bananas, place them in plastic wrap, and slightly flatten them.
3. Dip the flattened banana into the mixture batter and deep-fry until it's lightly golden.
4. Remove from the hot oil, double coat into the batter, and re-fry until it's puffy and golden.
5. Transfer to a lined paper towel and enjoy!

Mango Crepes

Ingredients:

310g AP flour

100g sugar

625ml whole milk

4 eggs

30g butter ~ melted & cooled

Coulis

2 mangoes

1/4 cup water

100g sugar

Filling/Topping

355ml heavy/whipped cream

125g powdered sugar

100g mango coulis ~ room temp/chilled

Directions:

1. Slice the mango flesh off the seed and add it to a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth, then return the pureed mango to the empty pot. Place the pot over medium-low heat, add the sugar, and cook for 10-15 mins or until thickened. Stir constantly to keep the mango from bubbling. Off the heat, transfer the mango coulis to a clean bowl and allow it to cool to room temperature.
2. Prepare the crepes; add the flour, milk, eggs, sugar, and melted butter to a bowl or a blender and mix or blend until smooth.  Place a small non-stick pan over medium heat, grease with butter or non-stick spray, and add about 1/3 cup of batter to the pan.  Quickly swirl the pan to get an even layer of batter and cook for about 50-60 seconds or until the crepe begins to set, then flip with a spatula and cook for another 10-15 seconds.  Transfer the cooked crepe to a clean dish and repeat the process till the batter finish.
3. Use a hand mixer for the filling/top and beat until combined and fluffy.  Then add the cooled-down mango coulis and beat until combined.
4. Before assembling the cake, I cut all the crepes to the same size using a 7" or 8" ring cake. Then, I placed the first crepe inside the adjustable ring cake on a serving dish and added a dollop of mango whipped cream. I spread it into an even layer, top it with another crepe, and repeat until all the crepes have been used.
5. Lastly, top the prepared crepe cake with whipped cream, the remaining mango coulis, and chopped mango.  Place the cake in the refrigerator to chill for at least 3-4 hours or overnight before serving.

Banana Bread

Ingredients

3 medium ripe bananas

75 butter ~ melted

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

150g sugar/brown sugar

1 large egg ~ beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

205g AP flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 160 deg C.  
2. In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas until completely smooth.  Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.
3. Mix in the baking soda and salt.  Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract.  Mix in the flour.
4. Pour the batter into a loaf pan. Bake for 55-65 mins at 175 deg C or until a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.