Bananas - Pisang Embun

A favorite used in traditional medicine to cool a fever, this green-skinned banana if often eaten raw, it has a nice aroma to it when at its prime ripeness.  This banana is also sometimes called pisang dingin or cool banana.  Each sikat can weigh over 2kg making it one of the larger size of bananas.  The outer skin remains green even when ripe so do not wait for it to turn yellow as more often than not, it will turn brown meaning that it is now spoilt.  The plant can grow to over 10m with the pseudostem diameter over 30cm, making it an armful.
The inner pseudostem is also often used in traditional medicine to treat muscle aches and sprains.


Pisang Embun (L) &
 Pisang Nangka (r)

Sometimes, people mistake this banana for pisang nangka as both remain green when ripe.  However, they have distinctive different taste.  Unlike pisang nangka which is also sometimes used to make pisang goreng, this banana does not fare well when fried - it turns into a soggy mash, leaving a banana fritter which does not have a crispy batter.  The shape is also different.  Pisang Embun has softer edges versus pisang nangka and the ends of the banana is also different.  The flesh of pisang embun is creamy white.  There are two types of this banana that I know of, one which has a nice aroma when ripe and the other without.  I prefer the one with the aroma as it tends to taste sweeter.  However, due to the size, it can serve as a breakfast meal in itself - a great way to start the day and easy on the stomach and digestive system, which just "woke up".

Apart from it usage in traditional medicin to cool fevers, due to its high fiber content, it is also used to improve the digestive system and treating people who have difficulty with their bowel movement.
So, if you are wondering what banana to have for breakfast, I suggest pisang embun.