Of Bananas and Caramels

“Heyyyyyy I have invented something really yummy! Make it now and tell me what you think!!” That was *MD’s opening line from the other end of the telephone at well past 11:00 pm, one evening.

“Mummmmmm, yummmmmmmmmm, very, very, nice”, she continued with all the special effects.

“Ok, what is it?” I asked impatiently.

MD continued with what it seemed from the “beginning” (as we say, shuru say). “You see, I had a sudden craving for something sweet and there were no sweets in my larder! All I could find were some bananas which is exactly not what would have satiated my craving. But then you see, a little imagination and a lot can be done with a banana fruit! I cut them up gole-gole, lit a slow fire, put the tava on the flame, smeared the tava with ghee, and then laid out the banana pieces on the ghee. When the side down had turned golden, I sprinkled the non-golden side with sugar and turned them over. Soon when the sugar caramelized, I turned them up and switched off the flame. I left them on the tava to cool a bit and become crispy and nowwwwwwwwwww I am having them. Mummmmmm, yummmmmmmmmm, very, very, nice…………………………”

As if this was not enough, “Make it right now”, she implored.

“First, I am not having a craving for sweets, second there is no banana at home,” I replied.

But perhaps MD did not know then that I had heard her recipe with rapt attention and registered it in my mind for future recall. And, out of curiosity more than any thing else, I tried her recipe the following day. “Hmm, not bad”, I thought to myself. I got a little bold and served it to a couple of friends too. “Where did you learn to make this?” was the first question I was asked as I watched my friends nibble on the caramelized bananas with great relish! Here’s a picture I took of the bites still on the tava being cooked – in fact, I served in the tava itself – with one fork each for everyone – that lent the serve an exotic air!!

Well, I have never made a post on food on my blog before, so glad to broaden the scope, thanks to MD!

*MD: For any of you who may wonder who I am talking about, MD is my sister.