Pisang Bakar Saus Kinca - Grilled Plantain with Palm Sugar Sauce

Most traditional Indonesian desserts or snacks that call for banana (Indonesian: pisang) actually use plantain, which is different than eating banana. Plantain is never eaten as is, it must be cooked first prior to consumption, be it boiled, steamed, grilled, baked, etc. One of the most commonly used plantain for this purpose is pisang kepok, I believe this is the same as saba banana commonly used in Filipino cuisine.

Pisang kepok is super delicious even if you just steam it, but that is too easy a recipe no? So, I decided to make some pisang bakar (or grilled plantain) using a frying pan, since I do not have a charcoal grill which is how it really should be done. The sauce is a super traditional kinca sauce, which at its simplest is a combination of palm sugar and coconut milk. I added kaffir lime leaves to make it more fragrant, you can also use pandan leaves, or just leave it plain. Another super popular incarnation is to top the grilled plantain with a drizzle of sweet condensed milk, grated cheese, and chocolate sprinkles. I think the later incarnation is better received by the little kids. ♥

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest: Indonesia hosted by Alice from I Love. I Cook. I Bake