Banana is one of the fruit which plays a major role in Cambodian holidays especially during Lunar New Year and Pjum Ben. It is used to make a Cambodian New Year’s Rice Treats (Nom Onsorm Jake), where the bananas are hidden inside a coconut flavored sticky rice then wrapped with banana leaves before they get steamed or grilled which adds a nice smoky flavor.

I did not have a chance to prep myself in advance so there were no banana leaves nor sticky rice soaked overnight. Therefore, I’ve decided to make this tasty Banana & Tapioca Pearl in Coconut Milk instead using the very same method and ingredients from my Jackfruit & Tapioca Pearl in Coconut Milk. These delicious sweet bananas are added to a thick rich tapioca pearls and coconut sauce. Toasted sesame seeds are sprinkle on top to add that nice nutty flavor in each and every bite.

Banana & Tapioca Pearl in Coconut Milk (makes 3-4 servings)
(Jake Ktiss) បង្អែម​ចេកខ្ទៈ

Ingredients
8 baby bananas
1 ½ cup water
4 tablespoons small size tapioca pearl (more if you prefer a thicker consistency)
1 can coconut milk (13 oz)
1/3 cup sugar
a pinch of salt
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Method:
In a pot bring water to a boil and add tapioca pearls. Cook for 2-3 minutes then simmer for another 10 minutes or until the pearls turns translucent (no whites). Stir occasionally so they don’t stick to the bottom. Larger tapioca will take longer to cook.

Meanwhile, peel banana and first cut them lengthwise then in half on an angle. You should be get 4 pieces out of each banana. Repeat with the rest of the bananas and set aside.

Once tapioca pearls turns translucent add the remainder ingredients and cook for about 5-7 minutes stirring. Then simmer low until the sauce thickens. Again, stir occasionally so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Taste and adjust the sweetness to your preference. Turn off the heat and add bananas.

Serve warm or cold.

Cook’s Note: I like my bananas to hold it’s shape and not too mushy therefore I usually add them about 5 minutes after I turn off the heat. Also, as the sauce cools it will continue to thickens.

This year Valentine’s Day also happen to coincide with the Chinese New Year, year of the Tiger Grrrr. While many might be out celebrating I wander into the kitchen at 8:30PM and began pulling out my flour and muffin pan in attempt to try and make Num Doat Toorain នុំដត់ធុរ៉េន durian muffins, a recipe adapt from my Banana Nut Muffin which was originally adapt from Foodnetwork.com.

My first attempt failed. It was after everything was combined when I realized that I had used self-rising flour and used a tablespoon to measure out baking powder instead of a teaspoon. I reduce the amount of sugar thinking that the durian probably is too sweet already. I also notice that the batter was stiff, so very different from my Banana Nut Muffin batter.  Then comes my shortage of muffin pan. I had a 6 muffin pan and didn’t feel like baking them twice so I over-fill them intentionally. Nevertheless, I continued on and hope for the best. Well, the outcome was not good. The muffin was a bit under-cooked. I could still taste the flour even after it pass the toothpick test. What went wrong? I end up shaving the bottom of the muffins off and sort of pick and eat the muffin top because I had fill them with some durian pulp.

I was contemplating whether I should try again last night. The wait for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics prime-time pair figure skating to air was too long so in between I took my time and measured my ingredients carefully. I made a couple of adjustments – use less baking powder, up the sugar to ½ cup, add ¼ cup milk to thin out the batter. spread it to 12 muffins instead of 6. Again, fingers-crossed once it was in the baking oven.

The sweet aroma smell filled my house and I instantly smiled because it didn’t happen the night before. I had hope this time. When 25 minutes was up, I carefully sneak and peek and see that the edges had brown beautifully so I promptly removed it and allow it to rest. It wasn’t for long because I was too anxious to do a taste test. Then it was “eyes opened wide” and jaw dropping moment followed by “WOW”! It taste amazing! It reminds me of my Mother’s Bai Domnub Toorain បាយដំណើបធុរ៉េន​ Sticky Rice with Durian Pudding. I am using frozen durian for this recipe. If you have access to fresh durian then by all means, use it. If using frozen durian like me then allow it to defrost first.

Durian Muffins (makes 12 regular size muffins)
(Num Doat Toorain) នុំដុតធុរ៉េន

Ingredients
1 cup flour, sifted
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
¼ cup milk
1 lb (16oz) durian meat, divided

Method:
Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Use non-stick muffin pan or arrange  baking cups in a muffin pan.

Mash half of the durian with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl add sifted flour, baking powder and sugar. Combine well.

Next make a well in the middle and add melted butter, vanilla extract, egg, milk and the remainder durian meat. Beat the ingredients with an electric mixer for 3 minutes or until all ingredients are mixed together.

Spoon the batter into each of the baking cup and fill about halfway. Give them a tap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.

Scoop out some durian pulp was was set aside and top it off.
Note: Another method is to fill the batter a little on the bottom, then add a scoop of the durain pulp in the middle and continue to fill it with batter. This method will cause the muffin to rise a bit higher since there is no durian pulp weighing it down.

Bake for 25 minutes. The beautiful aroma will fill your kitchen. The sides will turn brown. Allow to cool before diving into them.