Category: Banana

So which is really Pisang Emas?

Pisang Emas is often sought after as THE banana to eat raw here in Malaysia.  The size and taste makes it a great choice to add to your breakfast, either on its own or sliced to add to your bowl of cereal or simply pan-roasted.  Often, sellers claim that they are selling pisang Emas when it is actually pisang lemak manis to make it more marketable.  Often, the buyer doesn’t know but is only aware that Pisang Emas is great so when they are told it is Pisang Emas, they buy it and then continue to think that what they bought is Pisang Emas when it is something else.  They then tell others that is Pisang Emas and the misinformation continues.  This really bugs me……hahahaha…..

So what is Pisang Emas.  First, they are not big with the size being under 6cm in length.  We don’t normally go to the market and bring a measuring tape or ruler, so how do we measure?  A simple way is to compare it with you pinky finger – you can measure your pinky finger and just remember whether it is 6cm or less.

Next check the outer fruit.  The fruit shouldn’t have any edges but be rounded with a smooth yellow skin.When you peel the banana, the skin is thin.

Once peeled, the fruit itself has a cream yellow exterior with a golden yellow centre.  As you can see in the picture, when you slice the fruit, it is all yellow with the golden yellow centre a reflection of its name.  No other local banana has this golden yellow centre.  It has a very sweet taste and the sweetness tastes like honey.

So, next time you want to buy pisang emas, hope you get the real pisang emas and not pisang lemak manis, which is similar from the outside although it is longer, tastes sweet but not honey-like sweetness and doesn’t have the golden yellow centre.

Looks similar but different: Pisang Rastali versus Pisang Raja Udang

At a glance they may look similar but they are different in taste and texture as well as the pisang rastali being smaller than pisang raja udang..  Both fruits have a brownish design over the yellow skin but that is where the similarities end.

The Pisang Rattail is sweet with subtle undertone of sourness and when not fully ripen, will have a distinct “kelat” taste when not fully ripen.  When fully ripen, there should be no more green areas on the banana.  The bananas pictured above will be fully ripen in about 1 day.  The flesh is almost “fluffy” and relatively dry and is cream in colour.  This fruit is more often eaten raw but due to its “fluffy” texture and sweetness, is also a favourite for making banana cakes and muffins.

In comparison, the Pisang Raja Udang has a very sweet and sour taste – almost in equal measure.  The flesh is dense and has more moisture and is yellow in color.  When not fully ripen or harvested when not fully matured, the sour taste will overshadow the sweetness hence locally, it is also known as Pisang Masam or Sour Banana.  When harvested properly and fully ripen, the sweet taste is stronger than the sour taste.  This fruit is eaten raw or works well in fried banana dumplings. due to its taste and moistness.  It can also be used to make a dessert, serawa pisang or bananas cooked with a sweet coconut gravy.  It is also an option for banana splits.

So, be sure to pick the right banana for what you want or you may be disappointed in the outcome 🙂

Pisang Emas or Lemak Manis: Which is which?

Often I see and hear the argument of which is which between pisang emas and pisang lemak manis as well as pisang lemak manis labelled as pisang emas.   When buying them, please do not press or squeeze them to as this will bruise the fruit.  You can tell the ripeness of the fruit from the appearance.

There is a difference in taste and appearance.  The pisang emas has a honey-like sweetness to it when ripe as opposed to pisang lemak manis which has a sugary sweetness to it with a subtle sour undertone.  With their smaller sizes, they are great as a breakfast fruit – one that my son loves to have – and easily finished.  Full of natural goodness and fiber.  For children, they can eat it at one go so you won’t be left with half a banana to store.  It is also easy for them to hold and normally my son will have a couple of fruits.  Rich in vitamin B6 as well as magnesium and other mineral, it is great for a growing boy.  A key function of magnesium is to aid in the absorption of calcium which is critical for strong bones in my son – and for adults as well.  Amongst the important benefits of vitamin B6 that I aim for is the proper brain development and function.

When not fully ripe, the pisang emas skin has a yellowish green colour versus a light green of the pisang lemak manis.  You can see the colour at the top of the banana the colour difference.   For both varieties, when the skin has turned yellow with some areas slightly green, it is ready to be eaten and considered ripe.  If bought at this stage, the banana can last about 1 week before it becomes overly ripe.  The flesh of the bananas are yellow with pisang emas being more golden in the inside hence the name.  As it ripens, the flesh will become softer before becoming “mushy” when over-ripe where at this stage it is perfect for making cucur kodok or fried banana dumplings.

L: Pisang Emas, R: Pisang Lemak Manis

Top: Pisang Lemak Manis, Bottom: Pisang Emas

To start with, the size of the fruits are different: pisang lemak manis (average 8.5cm long) is larger than pisang emas (average 6 cm).    Pisang lemak manis also has a “rounder” appearance.  A quick check when buying is to measure it against your index finger.  If it is longer  than your index finger, it is pisang lemak manis.  If it is shorter than your index finger, it is probably pisang emas.

The skin of the pisang emas is thinner and more delicate than pisang lemak manis.  If the pisang emas is not just ripe, the skin will tend to stick to the flesh making it more difficult to peel.  Pisang lemak manis has a thicker peel so it is more forgiving.

Both the varieties are popular and not easily found in supermarkets but can be found in fruit stalls in wet markets and at the roadsides.  So, go ahead and enjoy our local either bananas which are natural and may it bring all the great health benefits with it for you 🙂

Bananas: What can I do with it?

In my banana plant quest, to date we have 17 varieties at the farm and I am still looking for a few more.  There are many ways that they can be consumed and as listed in the table below, although this is not an exhaustive list as it only covers what we grow at the farm:

For the inflorescence or jantung, for non-bitter tasting, you can try the ones from Pisang Abu Bunga, Kapas, Nipah and Raja.
For those who have asked, we do sell our plants periodically so feel free to contact us.

Bananas – Pisang Rastali

This is another “old-timer” banana which is now no longer easily found at the markets.  It is most often eaten raw and has a lighter albeit sweet taste.  It is a medium sized banana and when ripe has brown/black patterns over it;s yellow skin making it appear like a batik design on the skin hence the its other name – pisang batik. 

This is one of the few varieties of banana that should fully ripen on the tree.  It takes a longer time to mature and ripen as opposed to other varieties as it takes over 4 months from the inflorescence to ready-to-eat fruit but is well worth the wait.  When the fruit is unripe it is green in color.  The brown/black patterns only appear when it is mature and almost ripe.  By the time the fruit is ready for harvest, all the leaves would have already dried out.  A healthy plant should produce about 10-12 sisir (bunch of bananas) weighing about 10-15kg in total.

I do not recommend eating the inflorescence (jantung) as it has a bitter taste.  When the fruit is ripe, it can be used as the main ingredient in making a banana cake.  It has just the right moisture content resulting in a deliciously moist banana cake.  Due to its higher sugar content and texture, it doesn’t work well when turned into banana fritters as it will soak up a lot of oil.  It teams up well with ice creams making it a good choice for banana splits.

Bananas – Pisang Rotan (Lidi)

Another interesting banana that is not often found is the pisang lidi or rotan.  It has a distinctive shape compared with other bananas and you can easily identify it.  It is more elongated and slim almost like fingers.  The skin is a milky-yellow color and relatively thin.  This banana is normally eaten uncooked and has a sweet and light taste to it.  This particular banana is rarely found now so I am happy that we have it at the farm as part of my collection of banana plants.  At our Sunday morning market, when we have it available, it is sold very quickly – apparently a favorite with the afficionados.

At the farm, the plant grow to about 7m (approximately 20ft) and in comparison to other banana plants has a rather skinny pseudostem and is green beneath the dried brown upper layer.  The leaves tend to grow upright and only angles when it is about to die-off hence making it look tall and slim.  The upper side of the leaf is a dark green with a groove in the leave stem.  The underside of the leaf is a lighter green with a light green leaf stem. 
This plant produces multiple baby plants and it is best to keep it to 3-4 per group to ensure a higher and better quality yield.
The inflorescence is rather bitter hence is not consumed.  It takes approximately 2 months from when the inflorescence appears to the fruit maturing and ripening.