#ewew makes One-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream

I've seen this One-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream online since way back when but have always been a bit skeptical if it would really work, so what better way than to try it out for myself with some leftover bananas one day.

But since this uses only one-ingredient ie. bananas, you have to be really, really into bananas (which I am) to want to do this, otherwise don't even try.

First, you cut up the bananas (when they're still soft, obviously) and put them into the freezer.  As soon as they're frozen (in a matter of hours or left overnight), it's ready to use.

I don't even have a proper blender as I've never found the real need to buy a blender as I don't large portions of food that needed blending at home.  So, I used my trusted mini chopper to do the job (and two large bananas just about fit snugly in it).

I didn't expect the blitzing to take so long actually.  I didn't time it but I think it was a good 5 - 10 minutes probably because I wasn't using a proper blender but a hand-held one that's only 300 watts which I use occasionally just to blend garlic, onions, dried prawns or small amounts of chilli paste.

It actually became rather warm due to the prolonged usage that I thought it was going to "meletup" (burst) or something.  You have to blitz it until it reaches a smooth consistency.  But don't worry if it's not completely smooth as the little lumps of banana will add on to the texture of the ice cream.

You can eat it right after it's blended (if you like) and it'll have a texture like a soft serve with an intense banana flavour.  But if you enjoy it firmer, then be patient and put in back into the freezer to harden.  Now who says making ice cream is hard....haha! ^.^

Yes, I wanted to eat some immediately...but not before making a quenelle for a restaurant-y presentation! ;) Sorry, this is the result of watching too many cooking competitions.  So, I attempted to make a quenelle with two spoons by transferring it back and forth between the two spoons until I achieve the desired shape I want.

So, what do you think?  Did my first ice cream quenelle pass the test?  Kekeke! ^_~

A quenelle is an elegant way to serve ice cream.  You can quenelle them when they're soft (as it's easier to handle then) and put them back into the freezer until you're ready to serve to your guests.  Oops, this one not a very 'pretty' attempt :P

Or simply just serve it in a nice glass for less hassle :)  Now this is one guilt-free ice cream you can indulge in without the extra calories of sugar and cream.

You can also brighten it up by adding some colourful fresh fruits.  Alternatively, you can turn your One-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream into a 2-ingredient ice cream by adding strawberries (or blueberries) to make it a Strawberry (or Blueberry) Banana Ice Cream or some cocoa powder or dark chocolate to turn it into a Chocolate Banana Ice Cream.  Or even some green tea for a Green Tea Banana Ice Cream.  The possibilities are endless! ^o^

#ewew makes Ciku Juice

Ciku (chikoo or sapodilla) is a sweet fruit with yellow-brown flesh.  It's not as commonly found as other fruits selling throughout the year.  It obviously has many nutritional values but it's also a fruit you either like or dislike.

So, when I saw it being sold the other day, I got myself some.  I don't buy ciku all that often coz I don't really know if the ciku I choose is any good.  Some may take up to a week to ripen but yet does not yield a brown and sweet fruit.  The fruit seller apportioned them into small trays and I got this tray for RM5 (which isn't all that cheap either seeing how small the fruit is...we can eat it in one bite if we really wanted to as these were small ones).  Initially, there were eight fruits but he threw one more in coz I bought some other fruits from him too.

I like to eat ciku for their soft, sweet and juicy flesh.  I don't eat it often as they're (sometimes) too sweet. So, what I'd do is to try to eat them when they're not too ripe, that way they're less sweet.  People (generally) would like to buy (and eat) fruits that are very sweet...I'm one of those exceptions (some may even think I'm bonkers)!  But it has to be at least ripe (it's ripe when it's soft when pressed)....trust me, you won't want to eat it when it's not ripe.  The taste is downright horrible as there'll be this white-looking bitter taste (described as sticky latex) permeating through the fruit (this happened when I tried to cut one open when it was only a little bit soft and ended up with that sticky and bitter taste on my tongue)...yucks! >.<

The best and simplest way to eat this fruit is to just peel it and eat it, of course.  Ok, disregard the peeling part.  They're difficult to peel (especially when they're soft) coz they're too small to handle.  The lazy way would be to just cut it into half like you'd do an avocado or a kiwi (and save yourself all the trouble) and scoop out the flesh to eat.  That's how I do it...so much easier! ;)

As much as I like to eat fruits as they are, I like to drink fruit juice even more! ;)  So, let's make Ciku Juice out of em' fruits.  Well, why not!  Whenever we dine outside, we can order all kinds of fruit juices...but I rarely see Ciku Juice offered.  So, the only way for me to have some is to make it at home myself.  It's pretty simple to make, for one glass of juice, you need.....

3 small ciku...discard the seed, scoop out the flesh

(use very ripe ciku if you like your juice sweet)

Add 1 1/2 cups (or 200ml) water

And a few ice cubes (optional)

Then, blitz away.  My resulting concoction is light brown in colour coz I used ciku that weren't overly ripe.  It should be a darker shade of brown if you did use very ripe ciku.

The drink has a consistency that's not-too-thick and not-too-thin.  So, if you like it thicker (and sweeter), add more ciku or more water if you want a thinner consistency (though I wouldn't recommend that as it would reduce the sweetness of the drink).  I didn't use overly ripe ciku, so mine was just mildly sweet....which is just how I like it.

This ciku puree is kinda like a smoothie...just not as thick or rich.  It's a pretty nice, refreshing and healthy drink.....something a ciku fan would love! ^o^  The natural sweetness of the fruit means there's no necessity to add any sugar.

Give this Ciku Juice a go if you bought one too many and can't finish eating them.  Do not let the overly ripe ciku go to waste.  Once blended into a juice, they keep pretty well in the fridge.  #Tip: You may want to put the juice into a disposable paper cup coz it might leave some sticky substance on your glass that's difficult to wash off (I ended up having to wash the glass three times...haiz)! >_<

#ewew makes 2-Ingredient Banana Pancakes

I saw a video online making this simple 2-Ingredient Banana Pancakes with just one banana and two eggs.....and that's it!  I love to eat pancakes and I thought this one looked easy enough to attempt.

This simple recipe is hassle-free...no milk or flour needed which is great since I rarely have milk in my refrigerator.  So, this recipe is suitable for those who are on a gluten-free and/or dairy-free diet.

So, let's get cracking at this seemingly easy to make recipe.  But you do need one thing...and that's a non-stick pan...if you don't have one, don't attempt to make this! >.<

Like the recipe said, all you need is two eggs and one banana....but make sure it's a large banana (apparently this banana wasn't large enough) :P

After that, all you need to do is mash up the bananas, beat the eggs and mix both together thoroughly.

My banana must have been a medium-sized one as I found the resulting batter to be a bit more on the liquid side, so I added an extra half a banana (you can even put two medium bananas in if you like which will thicken the pancakes and make them easier to flip).

I used a Chinese tablespoon (as a measuring device) to scoop the batter and pour into a non-stick pan that was already greased with butter.  One Chinese tablespoon produces one small pancake that's approximately 3 inches in diameter.  This was the first batch of the not-so-nice looking pancakes.

It gets better as you go along.  Probably the most difficult part of this recipe would be the flipping of the pancakes coz they're made up of just eggs and bananas.  The pancake will be quite liquid in nature (think of frying omelettes), so it'll have a runny consistency and difficult to flip.  That's why it's imperative that you fry them on low heat to give it sufficient time to set and firm up before flipping...and to keep them small so that they'll be easier to flip.

As soon as each one is done, stack them up to keep them warm for as long as possible (or keep them in a warm oven) while you finish frying the rest of the pancakes.

And there you have it.....a simple to make (but not-so-quick to fry) 2-Ingredient Banana Pancakes! ;-)

You can eat this with a knob of butter smeared on the pancakes....

.....or drizzled with honey (as in the case here) or maple syrup...

....or top them up with some freshly sliced or caramelised bananas (or any fruit)...whatever pleases you! But I couldn't wait to dig in, so no time to add bananas! :P

cross-section of the pancakes

This recipe is enough to make 12 small '3-inch' pancakes which is just nice as a light breakfast for one.....with a cup of coffee! ^_*

As for the taste, don't expect the pancakes to be fluffy (since no flour or milk was involved).  Taste wise, I'd say it's more like french toast but still respectable seeing how simple the recipe was to make.  You can definitely taste the banana in the pancakes...and if you like bananas, then this is the pancake for you :)

The test run of this 2-Ingredient Banana Pancakes was a success.  I wouldn't mind having it again, so I'll be making them again...but a much bigger batch next time! :D  

#ewew makes "Kedondong" or Umbra Juice

I've always loved "kedondong" juice and will order it whenever I see it on the menu.  Now, "kedondong" goes by many names (in different countries) but here it's more common to hear it referred to as "sar lay", ambra (umbra) or ambarella.

 

With its numerous health benefits like preventing heart disease, controlling cholesterol levels, for eye health, prevent aging, heal wounds, acts as antioxidants or as an excellent source of Vitamin C....etc., etc...it's obviously a fruit we should partake in frequently.

 

I like the juice with "assam boi" (preserved sour plum) or "sar lay shuen mui" in Cantonese like the one from Village Park...but I like them equally without the sour plum...like the one above from Penang Village.

 

And so, when I was doing grocery shopping and chanced upon the buah kedondong, I thought maybe I can try to juice it at home.  It retails for RM0.55 per 100g and this packet costs me just RM3.16 and there was probably about 20 fruits in the packet.

 

Now, you can peel the skin and eat the fruit just like that.  I did and found it crunchy with a sweet sour taste but a bit hard.  That's why you'd find it sometimes in salads and rojak too.

 

The balance I used for my juice.  I found out that if you juice the fruits whole, without peeling the skin, you'd get that nice green colour in the juice (like how I get it when I order it outside).  If you juice the fruits with the skin off, you'd end up with a light brownish coloured drink.

 

So, I cut up the fruits into small pieces, added a little bit of water and juiced them in my makeshift blender coz I don't have a proper juicer....heck, I don't even have a proper blender!  So, I had to blend and then pass the juice through a sieve.  I find making juices at home too much work coz I can easily have it outside but kedondong juice is not as commonly found as the other juices.
 

Add sugar syrup, as much or as little as you like, to sweeten your kedondong juice.  It was indeed a very refreshing drink...a little on the sour side than sweet which I love! ;)  If you have preserved sour plums, you can add one or two in as well (but I didn't have any).  It perks it up with more sourness and a tinge of saltiness as well.

 

Although it was good, it didn't taste as good as the ones I had at restaurants!  I guess the restaurants get these fruits at their optimum 'ripe age' for juicing....but we don't have such expertise to 'eye' the optimum 'age' of the fruits.  That's probably why a lot of the juices I've had outside always seem to have just the ideal sweetness (compared to the ones I make at home).

 

Would I make it again?  Hmmm, probably not......it's just too much work for this one glass! :'(

But if I have a proper juicer at home (like if someone was kind enough to gift me this super efficient, super expensive Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer *wink wink*)....then, maybe! :D  Nevertheless, I did enjoy my laborious homemade iced kedondong juice...I had to! ;)
 



#ewew makes Fresh Coconut Jelly (or Agar-Agar)

I liked the Fresh Coconut Jelly that I bought from the ramadhan bazaar some time ago and I thought to myself....why not make it at home.  It should be simple enough...all you need is just two ingredients...coconut and agar-agar powder.

 

The one I bought from the pasar ramadhan (RM3 for two) only had a hint of coconut flavour in the coconut jelly.  I'm sure they would have added water and sugar to it to bump up the quantity of liquid + they probably used the local coconuts which are cheaper.

 

I'm going to substitute it with the Thai (young) coconut which is more fragrant (and sweeter) in terms of flavour and taste.  So, I bought two for RM11.60 (RM5.80 each)...

 

.....and a 10g packet of agar-agar powder (Swallow Globe brand) costs RM3.10.

 

Let's get started.....and make some Fresh Coconut Agar-Agar!

 

First, empty the coconut juice into a jug.  I managed to get around 600ml of juice from the two coconuts.

 

Scrape the flesh off the coconut and roughly cut into smaller strips.  This flesh came from only one of the coconuts.  As it turned out, the other one (unfortunately) was not that 'young', so the flesh was a bit hard.  But it's fine as you only need the flesh from one coconut (even if you had more flesh, don't dump it all in as it'll be too much).

 

Now, here comes the hard part....the quantity of agar-agar powder to liquid.  After looking at the recipes online, I was even more confused as it varied from 1/4 tsp to 3 tsp for 500 - 600 ml of liquid (and none of them mentioned the texture of their jellies and you obviously can't judge the texture from the photos).  So, I fell back on the instructions on the packet which was 10g of agar-agar powder (about 3 1/2 tsp) for 1 litre of liquid.  So, I decided to use 2 tsp for the 600ml of coconut water from the two coconuts.

 

Pour the coconut juice into a pan and bring it to a simmer and put in the 1 tsp (or your desired ratio) of agar-agar powder.  Stir until the agar-agar powder dissolves.  [#Tip: If you think you want to do a lazy man version and pour some hot water into the agar-agar powder to dissolve it and then pour that into the coconut juice, let me tell you it doesn't work...I tried....the powder clumps up, it doesn't dissolve!  You have to keep stirring it in the simmering juice to dissolve it.]

 

Once the agar-agar powder has fully dissolved, pour them into your little glasses...the 600ml juice was able to fill only four of my small glasses.  [#Tip: If you're using plastic cups, let it cool down a bit before pouring into your plastic moulds (but not too long, otherwise they'll set).

 

Then, divide the cut up coconut pieces into the four glasses and let it cool for a while before putting into the fridge to firm up and chill (although it'll also set at room temperature).

 

Here's how they look, straight out from the fridge, after they have set.  It's ready to be eaten.  Because I used Thai young coconuts and didn't dilute it with added water or made it sweeter with sugar, I found it to be just nice, with just the natural sweetness from the coconut juice, and very fragrant.

 

Although my homemade Fresh Coconut Agar-Agar may cost RM3 a cup (double the price of the ones I bought), this one tasted a lot better as it's not diluted with water and no sugar is added!

After realising that this cold dessert was so good, I did a few more test runs on other occasions....1) to find my ideal ratio of agar-agar powder to liquid and 2) so that I can eat more them, of course.

This was the first one with 2 tsp to 2 coconuts which turned out a very firm coconut agar-agar.  I think the firmest texture is best suited if you want to make a tray and cut them up into nice squares before serving.

And this was the one with 1 tsp to 2 coconuts and the texture is, of course, slightly less firm.

Finally, this was the one with 1/2 tsp agar-agar powder to 2 coconuts (600ml of juice) which yielded a very soft and smooth texture, almost jello-like, which you just need to slurp into your mouth!  I think this probably has the same consistency as those Penang Coconut Jellies I see online.  So, if you like those, this would be the ratio for you!
 

It really depends on how you like your jelly...soft or firm!  Just know that the softer the texture, the longer the time it'll need to set in the fridge.  For me, I think my favourite is the one with the ratio of 1 tsp to 2 coconuts for an ideal texture of not-too-soft and not-too-firm ;)

Whichever texture you like.....firm or soft...there's a jelly or agar-agar out their for everyone! ;D  And what's even better, it's a healthy dessert you can easily make and one you can indulge in frequently (just like drinking coconut water).  A chilled dessert like this on a hot day is a welcome treat indeed.  Enjoy!!