Bananas left sitting in the fruit basket often turn too ripe for anyone in the house to want to eat, and many end up simply thrown away. Yet those very overripe bananas can be turned into a delicious homemade sweet using minimal ingredients and very little effort. The riper the banana, the better the sweet tastes, so the very thing most people discard becomes the biggest advantage of this recipe.
Manju Devi, a resident of Bhilwara city, shared the full method for making this sweet.
It starts with mashing the bananas
According to Manju Devi, the first step is to peel the bananas and place them in a bowl, then mash them with a spoon or by hand until they turn into a smooth, thick paste. One thing to keep in mind here is that the riper the banana, the better the final taste of the sweet turns out. So instead of slightly raw or under ripe bananas, fully ripe, soft bananas work best for this recipe.
Cooking it on a low flame
Once the bananas are mashed, a small amount of ghee is heated lightly in a kadhai (pan). As soon as the ghee is warm, the mashed banana is added to it and cooked on a low flame while stirring continuously. It is important to keep stirring the mixture throughout rather than occasionally, so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan or burn. After cooking for a while, the banana mixture gradually starts to thicken and its texture begins to change.
When to add sugar and dry fruits
Once the mixture begins to thicken, sugar can be added according to taste. If the bananas are already very sweet, the amount of sugar can be reduced so the sweet does not turn out overly sugary. Cardamom powder is then added to enhance the flavour further, along with chopped cashews, almonds or any other dry fruits of choice. All the ingredients are mixed well and the mixture is cooked for a little longer on low flame. Once it starts leaving the sides of the pan and becomes well thickened, the sweet is ready and the flame can be turned off.
Shaping and serving it
After taking it off the flame, the prepared mixture is allowed to cool slightly. Once cooled a bit, it can be shaped as desired, either rolled by hand into small peda-like rounds, or spread evenly on a plate, left to cool completely and then cut into pieces with a knife. A few extra dry fruits can be sprinkled on top before serving to make it look more appealing.
This sweet is especially useful for anyone who wants to make something sweet at home in a short amount of time. The ingredients it needs, ghee, sugar, cardamom powder and dry fruits, are usually already available in most kitchens, so there is no need to make a separate trip to the market. It can be served alongside evening tea or offered as a dessert after a meal. Requiring little effort and little time, this sweet keeps the taste intact while also giving overripe bananas a good, practical use instead of letting them go to waste.
