Maja Banana (manjar de plátanos con canela)

I wanted to make a traditional Filipino dessert called maja blanca. It's made with coconut milk and corn kernels, cooked and set in corn flour. Mmmmm! However, living in the Sub-Himalayan part of the Indian Subcontinent means I get snow and little access to fresh coconuts because they don't grow here. I could buy tinned coconut milk from the local supermarket but they're imported from Thailand and that just defeats the whole reason this food item was invented in the first place. This dessert is an adapted version of the Spanish manjar blanca, which means white delicacy, made with dairy milk. Since we Southeast Asians didn't have a prevalent cow-milking culture before and during the days of colonisation, we made use of what was available to us -- coconuts -- thus maja blanca was born. In channelling the spirit of those who came before me, I simply couldn't make do with something flown in from Thailand -- at least for this food item -- so I decided to use what was in the pantry: bananas and cinnamon.

maja banana

This recipe makes

- 1 small bowl mold good for 4 people if served as a dessert or snack


You will need:

- 2 tablespoons of corn flour (also known as corn starch)

- 3 large bananas, mashed to oblivion or blended

- ½ teaspoon of powdered cinnamon 

- 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar (adjust to taste)

- 1 cup (450ml) of water 

- 1 tablespoon of neutral cooking oil (sunflower and corn oil are good)

- ⅛ teaspoon (or a small pinch) of salt 

Let's do this!

1. In a small frying pan (ideally non-stick), heat some oil and lightly fry the bananas with a tiny pinch of salt. After 2 minutes, add powdered cinnamon and sugar, and stir to incorporate well. Cook over medium heat with constant stirring for 3 minutes until aromatic.

2. Mix the corn flour and water well to make a slurry and pour it into the pan. Cook in high heat with constant stirring until the mixture becomes very thick. Not sauce-thick, not batter-thick. I mean sticking-to-the-spatula and difficult-to-stir-thick. But be careful not to burn it or dehydrate it too much. Use wise judgement, for heaven's sake!

3. Transfer to a greased mold or bowl and refrigerate covered for at least 3 hours to set.

4. Invert the mold onto a plate to reveal the set maja banana. Serve as a snack or dessert. 

Tip:  Best served with tea, coffee or hot chocolate.

Avocado-Based Vegan Ice Cream

a vegan dessert 

Now that summer has hit most of the Philippine Islands, let me share my Avocado-Based Vegan Ice Cream recipes even if I'm currently living in a cold city where spring has just come.

There are three (3) recipes for three different flavours in this post -- Mochavocado (chocolate and coffee), Mangocado (mango), and Avocadurian (durian, obviously). Try all or some of them depending on what you fancy.

MOCHAVOCADO Ice Cream

If you follow one recipe strictly, you will be have:

- 2 ice cream servings



Mochavocado (pictured above)

- 1 whole large avocado (flesh only) 

- 1 teaspoon of nama shoyu or tamari (or plain soy sauce if you don't have either) 

- 50g of melted dark chocolate (ideally 70% and above) 

- 2 tablespoons of agave nectar, maple syrup or coconut sugar 

- half a cup of coconut cream 

- 1 shot of espresso

Mangocado (pictured below)

- 1 whole large avocado (flesh only) 

- 1 whole ripe large mango (flesh only) 

- 3 tablespoons of overnight-soaked steel-cut oats 

- 1 heaped teaspoon of grated turmeric (half teaspoon if powdered)

Avocadurian (pictured below)

- 1 whole large avocado (flesh only) 

- 5 tablespoons of durian flesh

To make:

Throw everything in a blender and blend until smooth. Then use an ice cream maker and churn until it turns to ice cream. If you don't have an ice cream maker, freeze it for at least four (4) hours. A good tip is to take it out every half hour for the first 2 hours; lightly blend it; and put it back to freeze. This is to make sure your ice cream is well-aerated and does not harden into a solid block.

Notes: 

- For Mangocado - Turmeric is not absolutely necessary and I must say it adds a bit of a distinct flavour and you will be able to tell what it is if you know turmeric. I use it primarily to mask the persistent green colour. Plus, it's also really good for you.

 - For Mochavocado -  Soy sauce (nama shoyu or tamari) kicks out most of the avocado taste and enhances the flavour profile of chocolate. I've tried making the ice cream without it and while it's also good, it's not quite as good. You may omit it if you have a problem with soy.

- For Avocadurian - If you don't like durian, don't make it.

AVOCADURIAN Ice Cream

MANGOCADO Ice Cream

Heavenly Chocolate Brownies

a vegan cake (or whatever category brownies fall under)

Today, I had the strongest urge to bake brownies but the last time I made them, I was still lacto-ovo.  Now that I'm vegan, though, I didn't know if flax or banana would work as an egg substitute.  As it turned out, they're absolutely perfect.  I made mine using a banana.  Flax, I read upon doing research, is a better substitute but I don't have any at the moment so I settled for the fruit-based alternative.

If you follow the recipe strictly, you will come up with half a party platter.


You will need:

- 2 cups of all-purpose flour 

- 1¼ cup of agave nectar or honey if you're okay with it (Adjust sweetness by adding or subtracting a tablespoon or two) 

- 1 unit of banana-based egg alternative OR 2 units of flax seed-based egg alternative 

- 200 grams of dark chocolate, melted (Melt using the double boil method or microwave.) 

- 1 cup of liquefied virgin coconut oil 

- 1 cup of water 

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

- 1 teaspoon of baking powder 

- 1 teaspoon of salt

Let's get baking:

1.  Preheat your oven to 350°F or 175°C. 

2.  In a mixing bowl, mix your agave nectar, egg alternative, water, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt. 

3.  Thoroughly mix your coconut oil and your melted chocolate.  You may use a pan over low heat or a double boiler to do this. 

4.  Pour the chocolate and oil mixture into the mixing bowl.  Throw in the flour and mix well for about a minute, preferably using a mixer but a whisk will do. 

5.  Lightly grease a baking tray (23cm x 34cm or 9" x 13") and line the surface and sides with baking paper. 

6.  Pour your brownie mix onto the tray and bake for 30-35 minutes. 

7.  Check if it's done using a cocktail stick or toothpick (i.e. it should come out clean when poked).  If done, take it out of the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting to squares. 

8.  Serve heaven.

(Raw) Vegan Chocolate Pudding

a vegan dessert

This is an adapted version of Laura Miller's "not gross avocado chocolate pudding."  It's simple; it's delicious; it's vegan!  So, go make it.

This recipe is good for a whole bowl of pudding, which will feed a varied number depending on how hungry or greedy the diners are.

You will need:

- 2 large ripe avocados (of course just the flesh) 

- ½ cup of agave nectar, maple syrup, or honey (Now, maple syrup may not be technically raw but it's still used in a lot of raw food recipes.  Honey may be raw but not exactly pure vegan.  You can use it if you're not hardcore.  Just make sure it's cultured and you know the bees weren't killed in the process of collecting it.) 

- ½ cup of raw cocoa powder or melted dark chocolate (Use the latter if you're not fanatic about eating raw.) 

- 3 tablespoons of liquid coconut oil 

- ½ teaspoon of balsamic vinegar (No other kind of vinegar will do.)

- ½ teaspoon of nama shoyu or regular soy sauce (Nama shoyu is simply raw, unpasteurised soy sauce which raw foodists use in place of regular soy sauce but you may use the latter if you don't have the raw option.  It's not going to make your dessert taste like soy sauce; it simply destroys the taste of avocado and sharpens the taste of chocolate.) 

- ¼ teaspoon of salt (You can add even less than this because you literally need very, very little.  Just an itsy bitsy pinch will do.)

To make it:

Mix everything well in a blender, food processor, or in a bowl using a fork. 

Ideally, mix in the avocado, salt, nama shoyu, balsamic vinegar and coconut oil first.  Add the agave nectar and cocoa powder after about a minute of blending the first batch of ingredients and blend for another minute or two.

END TIP:  If so desired, you may top it with your choice of fruits and/or nuts when you serve it.