Bangbangsug

 Preparing a Southern Mindanao dessert

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte 

Chef Miguel Cabel Moreno did a cooking demo of a few dishes from his restaurant Palm Grill, at the Palenque section of Gateway Mall, that proffers Southern Mindanao delicacies.

Simply dubbed "Colors of Mindanao," Chef Miggy introduced attendees to the staple dishes of Mindanao's ZamBaSulta (Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi) region.

"Pali Kambing, which I'll prepare as part of our dessert choices, falls under our Bangbangsug (native cakes) options. It is deep fried banana with cinnamon sugar. For this dish, it is best to use over-ripe saba or lakatan. For me, I combine both so I get a unique banana flavor," shared Chef Miggy.

- Pali Kambing

Ingredients:

1 kilo all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 egg

Ripe bananas, four to six of both saba and lakatan varieties 

Sugar to taste

Oil for frying

- Cooking instructions 

1) In a mixing bowl, pour the flour and baking powder. Add the egg and mix.

2) Mash the bananas into the flour mixture. Add a bit of water and mix altogether.

3) Add the desired amount of brown sugar (like how sweet you want the mixture to be). Brown sugar will give off a chocolate colored finish after frying.

4) Set aside the mixture and allow it to rise for half an hour.

5) Deep fry spoonfuls of risen dough into not-so-hot oil. Flip over when one side turns golden brown.

6) Make cinnamon sugar by mixing equal parts of cinnamon powder and brown sugar. 

7) Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar over your fried banana dessert.

6) Serve hot with your favorite brew.