I still remember when I was a child, around the beginning of December, my grandmother would start juicing bananas. Bananas from the home garden are plentiful and sweet, with a natural sweetness that cannot be mixed anywhere. Each foreign round banana is pressed into small pieces, many pieces of banana are dried close together to form large, round banana pieces like a table plate. On a sunny afternoon, she took the bananas out to dry so she could start making banana-ginger jam. This is a dish I absolutely love.
Bananas from home garden. Photo author provides
In the past, every family prepared to press and dry bananas. Houses that press a little will dry it on the roof in a few small racks. Houses that press a lot to make cakes and jam as gifts for their children and grandchildren will dry it on several racks in the front yard. We kids are just waiting for these days. The bananas were dry and drained… running in and out, looking at the yellow, rubbery banana pieces, I craved them. As a child, sweet food is our favorite, we can’t just take a piece of banana off the shelf and then run quickly to find somewhere to gather and share.
I must say that the old cakes and jams are so addictive. Looks rustic, ordinary but extremely elaborate. Elaborate from choosing bananas to creating golden banana pieces for us to compete for. In the countryside, there is no shortage of fruit trees in the garden, especially bananas. My family grows many types of bananas such as: old fragrant bananas, areca bananas, Siamese bananas, wax bananas, but to make this delicious jam, it can only be Siamese bananas. Bananas must be ripe from the tree, and the outer skin must be plump and plump for the banana to be delicious. My grandmother told my aunts like that, so before December we have to visit the garden regularly, don’t let it get too ripe and be eaten by birds, it’s a waste. There’s only one Tet a year, when guests or children come to visit, there’s something to treat. Wow, such a country dish is so precious.
Dry bananas after pressing. Photo author provides
Bananas are picked from the tree and cut into bunches, cherished very much. Grandma took a bushel basket and lined it with old winch bags to keep it from getting crushed. She put each bunch of bananas in and covered it with a few more layers of banana leaves to let them ripen naturally. “Banana soup, guys, don’t let it overripe or it won’t taste good!” – Grandma always reminds me, but I don’t know that every time I open a banana to visit, it seems like I will “lose” a few fruits.
To make this rustic jam requires skillful women. They “learned the trade” from their grandmothers and mothers from a young age, until they got married as adults, it was also a dish that scored points with demanding mothers-in-law. Simple but also very elaborate. Each banana is pressed to a moderate thickness. When pressing, make sure it is evenly round. My mother had to use a circular bamboo splint as a mold. Mom took a thick cutting board from below, placed it on a clean plastic wrap, placed the bamboo ring on it, and finally put the banana in the circle. Mom took another plastic wrap and placed it on top. Finally, she took a cutting board and placed it on top and pressed it gently. Mother spreads each piece of banana evenly on bamboo mats or baskets and then leaves it to dry in the sun. Banana soup then you have to watch the sun. The sun is beautiful from seven or eight o’clock in the morning and is left to dry. After one and a half hours of sun drying, you have to turn it over and dry it for another day. The banana pieces will be dry on both sides, have a golden color with the shape of a cockroach’s wings, and have a plump texture, making it easier to chop.
Slicing bananas – preparation step. Photo author provides
In the days near Tet, the gentle sunshine blends with the chilly wind, making the atmosphere of the days before the year become strangely sacred. The brothers gathered together to help their mother remove each piece of banana to prepare to cut the banana into strips.
These days, grandmothers, mothers, and sisters gather together, in the corner of the yard or in the kitchen, some chop bananas into small strips, some chop ginger, some roast peanuts and sesame, some watch the fire… Laughter and talk. Waking up, the Tet atmosphere becomes more joyful and warmer.
This jam is a blend of many natural flavors. Whether a dish is delicious or not depends on the selection and preparation of ingredients. All are equally important to create the final result. The kitchen was already red, the smoke also began to move gracefully like dancers. The first step is papaya slugs, shredded ginger, chopped pineapple with malt sugar and white sugar. Simmer the soup until the sugar in the pan becomes thick. Use the tip of a chopstick dipped in the pan to pull it out until it becomes stringy. Next, add chopped bananas and stir well. This step is extremely important, you can’t rush it and boil it over high heat, otherwise the pan of ginger-sweet banana jam will spoil and lose its taste. Seeing the women and mothers processing this step, we can see the strength and flexibility of their small hands. Yes, Western girls are like that, good, capable and strong. The fire in the oven must be low, stir for about a minute, then lift down and add sesame seeds and roasted peanuts and mix well.
Finished bananas. Photo author provides
The children kept huddled around the banana jam pan. The flavors of ginger, sesame, and roasted peanuts make the ginger-sweet banana jam more flavorful.
Eating this jam is also enjoying the artist’s soul. You can’t eat in a hurry or hastily. Enjoying it must be done properly to see the deliciousness and affection of the person who made it. Puffs, must be sticky rice puffs to make a perfect pair. The puff pastry can be freshly baked and crispy or baked and then left out to dry in the dew to soften. Each way of eating is a different way of feeling the flavor. Use a fork to stick each piece of sweet banana onto a piece of puff pastry, sandwich it together and eat together, you will see the crunchiness of the cake and the sweetness of the banana, the spiciness of the ginger, the crunchiness of the papaya, the sour taste of the pineapple and the tanginess of the peanuts, roasted sesame.
For visitors, this dish is the most expensive. Delicious jam served with puffed rice cake, sipped with a cup of lotus tea, the scent of spring still lingers.