©2003 Ashy Macbean. All rights reserved.
This is another Indian travellers' staple. It's easy to make, difficult to spoil, full of energy and it tastes delicious. Bananas vary from country to country. In India, for this recipe, you might use one banana per person, in Sri Lanka two and in Europe half a banana. I think European bananas come from South America but I'm not sure. There not as tasty as Indian bananas, though I suspect that's because they're picked when they are very unripe so they can be transported without getting bashed. I guess Indian bananas would taste less sweet if you bought them in Europe too, though I do wonder why you can't. It's probably something to do with the international Banana Mafia. I think I remember a television programme about that a long time ago.
My granddad told me that when he was younger, there were small bananas on sale in Scotland but they came from the Canary Islands. He said they were much sweeter than the large bananas. My granddad also told me that he had a pet lion that he used to take for walks along Great Western Road on a bootlace. Apparently, everyone was terrified of it except the butcher who used to give it free bones. My granddad said if I didn't believe him I could see the proof for myself at the Kelvingrove Museum. He donated his lion when it died and they stuffed it and put it on display.
Here's the recipe. The quantities I give will make four small portions. It doesn't really matter what kind of bananas you use. It will turn out good.
Ingredients
600-700cl of milk
2 fairly heaped dessert spoons of custard powder
2 dessertspoons of sugar
Two large bananas
A small handful of raisins or sultanas
A small handful of raw cashew nuts
Mix the custard powder and sugar in a cup with a little milk. Mix it well to make sure there are no lumps of dry powder. Heat the rest of the milk in a saucepan and when it starts to boil, stir in the mixture from the cup. Bring the custard back to the boil and simmer and stir it for a few minutes. That's it ready, so switch off the heat and turn your attention to the other ingredients. Slice the bananas and distribute the slices evenly between four small bowls. Sprinkle a few raisins into each bowl then pour in some custard. Finish off with a sprinkle of chopped or crushed cashews and leave to cool for five or ten minutes before serving.
This custard is also rather good served cold. If you want to try that, fill the bowls as described while the custard is hot, then when they cool, leave them in the fridge with a bit of cling-film or aluminium foil over the top until needed.