Pisang Embun Wangi a.k.a. Bunga - fragrant delight

One of my favourite bananas to eat raw - either on its own, in a banana split or in my greek yoghurt

with honey - all natural, no hormones or chemical pesticide or fertiliser, non-GMO with a fragrant honey sweet taste beats the GMO, often with chemical inducements commercial Cavendish hands down.  In size and shape they are similar to Cavendish.  In the age where we have a choice, I choose Pisang Embun Wangi over the Cavendish any day.  The Kedahans also call it Pisang Bunga.  In Indonesia, it is called Pisang Ambon.

The plant itself grows quite tall, about 5m so it does need a bit of room to grow in a home garden.  However, if you love fresh bananas, this tree might be your choice.  The inflorescence (jantung pisang) is bitter so it is not eaten.

The taste is similar to Pisang Emas and Lemak Manis although the texture is softer but not mushy.  This banana ripens with a light yellowish-green  or pale yellow skin so if you are waiting for it to turn fully bright yellow, you would probably end up with an over-ripe, mushy brown/black skin banana.  As with most local bananas, it is best stored in a basket or fruit bowl, not on a cool surface like ceramic tiles.  When stored in the fridge, the skin will turn brown-black even though it may still be good to eat.  It is funny how many are still tuned in that for a banana to be ripe, it must be yellow.  There are many varieties of banana which ripen with a green skin so it is best not to "judge the book by its cover".  The flesh is also a cream color with a pale yellow tinge in the centre.

This banana is best consumed raw and is not suitable for turning into banana fritters because it tends to "soak" in the oil.  However, it is also good when roasted with the skin still on or turned into smoked bananas (pisang salai).  Another option is to use it to make cakes and pancakes especially when it is overripe as it tends to be mushy to mashing them up would be easy.

From a nutrition standpoint, as with other bananas, it is high in fiber and also contains vitamin A, C and calcium.  In traditional medicine, this fruit is eaten when you have a fever and the pseudo stem is heated and used to treat sore muscles.

Looks similar but different: Pisang Rastali versus Pisang Raja Udang

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At a glance they may look similar but they are different in taste and texture as well as the pisang rastali being smaller than pisang raja udang..  Both fruits have a brownish design over the yellow skin but that is where the similarities end.

The Pisang Rattail is sweet with subtle undertone of sourness and when not fully ripen, will have a distinct "kelat" taste when not fully ripen.  When fully ripen, there should be no more green areas on the banana.  The bananas pictured above will be fully ripen in about 1 day.  The flesh is almost "fluffy" and relatively dry and is cream in colour.  This fruit is more often eaten raw but due to its "fluffy" texture and sweetness, is also a favourite for making banana cakes and muffins.

In comparison, the Pisang Raja Udang has a very sweet and sour taste - almost in equal measure.  The flesh is dense and has more moisture and is yellow in color.  When not fully ripen or harvested when not fully matured, the sour taste will overshadow the sweetness hence locally, it is also known as Pisang Masam or Sour Banana.  When harvested properly and fully ripen, the sweet taste is stronger than the sour taste.  This fruit is eaten raw or works well in fried banana dumplings. due to its taste and moistness.  It can also be used to make a dessert, serawa pisang or bananas cooked with a sweet coconut gravy.  It is also an option for banana splits.

So, be sure to pick the right banana for what you want or you may be disappointed in the outcome :)

Pisang Emas or Lemak Manis: Which is which?

Often I see and hear the argument of which is which between pisang emas and pisang lemak manis as well as pisang lemak manis labelled as pisang emas.   When buying them, please do not press or squeeze them to as this will bruise the fruit.  You can tell the ripeness of the fruit from the appearance.

There is a difference in taste and appearance.  The pisang emas has a honey-like sweetness to it when ripe as opposed to pisang lemak manis which has a sugary sweetness to it with a subtle sour undertone.  With their smaller sizes, they are great as a breakfast fruit - one that my son loves to have - and easily finished.  Full of natural goodness and fiber.  For children, they can eat it at one go so you won't be left with half a banana to store.  It is also easy for them to hold and normally my son will have a couple of fruits.  Rich in vitamin B6 as well as magnesium and other mineral, it is great for a growing boy.  A key function of magnesium is to aid in the absorption of calcium which is critical for strong bones in my son - and for adults as well.  Amongst the important benefits of vitamin B6 that I aim for is the proper brain development and function.

When not fully ripe, the pisang emas skin has a yellowish green colour versus a light green of the pisang lemak manis.  You can see the colour at the top of the banana the colour difference.   For both varieties, when the skin has turned yellow with some areas slightly green, it is ready to be eaten and considered ripe.  If bought at this stage, the banana can last about 1 week before it becomes overly ripe.  The flesh of the bananas are yellow with pisang emas being more golden in the inside hence the name.  As it ripens, the flesh will become softer before becoming "mushy" when over-ripe where at this stage it is perfect for making cucur kodok or fried banana dumplings.

L: Pisang Emas, R: Pisang Lemak Manis

Top: Pisang Lemak Manis, Bottom: Pisang Emas

To start with, the size of the fruits are different: pisang lemak manis (average 8.5cm long) is larger than pisang emas (average 6 cm).    Pisang lemak manis also has a "rounder" appearance.  A quick check when buying is to measure it against your index finger.  If it is longer  than your index finger, it is pisang lemak manis.  If it is shorter than your index finger, it is probably pisang emas.

The skin of the pisang emas is thinner and more delicate than pisang lemak manis.  If the pisang emas is not just ripe, the skin will tend to stick to the flesh making it more difficult to peel.  Pisang lemak manis has a thicker peel so it is more forgiving.

Both the varieties are popular and not easily found in supermarkets but can be found in fruit stalls in wet markets and at the roadsides.  So, go ahead and enjoy our local either bananas which are natural and may it bring all the great health benefits with it for you :)

Bananas: Berangan or Emas

I admit it - I still prefer the originals, no genetically modified for me.  The taste you get from the originals are special.  Pisang Berangan is about slightly more than double the size of Pisang Emas and the difference doesn't stop there.  Both bananas are eaten raw but over-ripe pisang emus can be turned into a lovely pancake and also our favourite local cucur - cucur kodok or as the northerners call it: cok kodok.  However, both varieties do not make good banana fritters as they tend to soak in lots of oil.
Just ripen, pisang berangan (left) and pisang emas (right)

Two days later, you can see the difference in the skin colours.

The pisang berangan skin turns yellow as it matures and as it further ripens has a slight orange tint to it.  The flesh is white and has a sweet taste with a subtle sourness to it.  The texture is almost cake-like with a lower water content by comparison and almost melt in your mouth.  Because of the taste and texture, it tastes great when turned into a banana split with chocolate or vanilla ice cream as it balances the creamy sweet taste of the ice cream.

Pisang berangan (left) and pisang emas (right)

By comparison, pisang emus skin turns yellow as it matures but as it further ripens, becomes a golden yellow.  The flesh is slightly yellow and it gets to be a golden yellow as it further ripens.  The texture is more solid and it gets even sweeter as it ripens.  When it is over-ripe, it tends to get slightly watery due to its higher water content making it easy to turn into a mush for pancakes or cok kodok.

Bananas: What can I do with it?

In my banana plant quest, to date we have 17 varieties at the farm and I am still looking for a few more.  There are many ways that they can be consumed and as listed in the table below, although this is not an exhaustive list as it only covers what we grow at the farm:

Banana Variety	State of Fruit	Ways of consuming
Abu Bunga	Unripen	Cooked in savoury dishes like curry
	Ripe	Boiled, Banana fritter, Steamed with glutinous rice, cooked in sweetened oconut milk
Awak (seedless)	Ripe	Eaten raw, Banana fritter, Cooked with sweetened coconut milk.
Berangan	Ripe	Eaten raw
Emas	Ripe	Eaten raw
	Over-ripe	Banana pancake, Cakes and muffins
Embun Dingin	Ripe	Eaten raw
Embun Wangi	Ripe	Eaten raw
Kapas	Unripen	Cooked in savoury dishes like curries
	Ripe	Eaten raw, Banana pancakes, Mashed banana fritter balls (cucur kodok)
Lemak Manis	Ripe	Eaten raw, Banana pancakes
Lidi	Unripen	Cooked in savoury dishes like curries
	Ripe	Eaten raw
Nangka	Unripen	Banana chips
	Ripe	Banana fritters
Nipah (Abu Batu)	Unripen	Cooked in savoury dishes like curries
	Ripe	Boiled, Banana fritter, Steamed with glutinous rice
Raja	Ripe	Eaten raw, Banana fritters, Steamed with glutinous rice wrapped in banana leaves
Rastali	Ripe	Eaten raw, Banana pancakes, Cakes and Muffins
Ruai	Unripen	Cooked in savoury dishes like curries
	Ripe	Eaten raw
Tanduk	Unripen	Banana chips
	Ripe	Banana fritters, Cooked with sweetened coconut milk
Telor	Ripe	Eaten raw
	Over-ripe	Banana pancake, Cakes and muffins
Udang	Ripe	Eaten raw, Banana pancakes

For the inflorescence or jantung, for non-bitter tasting, you can try the ones from Pisang Abu Bunga, Kapas, Nipah and Raja.
For those who have asked, we do sell our plants periodically so feel free to contact us.

Bananas - Pisang Tanduk

It took me quite some time to find baby plants of the pisang tanduk.  This plant is getting to be rare and the bananas are difficult to find at the markets.  It turns out that my uncle had some and he gave me 10 baby plants.  And so my study of the pisang tanduk begins.

The plant grow to about 6m tall, shorter to many of the other smaller size banana plants.  We planted it in a high organic content soil area.  The banana has a unique shape and is easily the largest banana amongst the many varieties of this plant.  The uniqueness of this banana plant is that it doesn't have an inflorescence or jantung  like the other banana plants.  It is a big size banana and at the farm, one fruit can weigh 500gm.  It took slightly more than 1 year before we had our first harvest.


This banana has lots of vitamins and minerals so it is an added bonus to the great taste.  Naturally ripened, it has a very sweet with a touch of sourness taste hence is a favorite for banana fritters and a sweet coconut based dessert: pengat pisang amongst banana connoisseurs.  If the fruit was not left to properly mature and ripen, it will not have the sweetness but more of a sour creamy taste and you may be disappointed.

It can also be steamed and eaten with or without a sweet syrup.  However, not many people know of this banana nowadays due to its scarcity.  Mature but unripened bananas are also a favourite for making banana chips or kerepek pisang.  It can also be peeled and sliced and used in savoury dishes like curry. In short, it can be fried, grilled, steamed or boiled - so many options.

I am happy that we have this banana plant species at the farm as it is getting harder and harder to find it at the market.  So, should you ever find good quality pisang tanduk, I hope you will try it and enjoy the tasteful experience.

Bananas - Pisang Rastali

This is another "old-timer" banana which is now no longer easily found at the markets.  It is most often eaten raw and has a lighter albeit sweet taste.  It is a medium sized banana and when ripe has brown/black patterns over it;s yellow skin making it appear like a batik design on the skin hence the its other name - pisang batik. 

This is one of the few varieties of banana that should fully ripen on the tree.  It takes a longer time to mature and ripen as opposed to other varieties as it takes over 4 months from the inflorescence to ready-to-eat fruit but is well worth the wait.  When the fruit is unripe it is green in color.  The brown/black patterns only appear when it is mature and almost ripe.  By the time the fruit is ready for harvest, all the leaves would have already dried out.  A healthy plant should produce about 10-12 sisir (bunch of bananas) weighing about 10-15kg in total.

I do not recommend eating the inflorescence (jantung) as it has a bitter taste.  When the fruit is ripe, it can be used as the main ingredient in making a banana cake.  It has just the right moisture content resulting in a deliciously moist banana cake.  Due to its higher sugar content and texture, it doesn't work well when turned into banana fritters as it will soak up a lot of oil.  It teams up well with ice creams making it a good choice for banana splits.

Bananas - Pisang Rotan (Lidi)

Another interesting banana that is not often found is the pisang lidi or rotan.  It has a distinctive shape compared with other bananas and you can easily identify it.  It is more elongated and slim almost like fingers.  The skin is a milky-yellow color and relatively thin.  This banana is normally eaten uncooked and has a sweet and light taste to it.  This particular banana is rarely found now so I am happy that we have it at the farm as part of my collection of banana plants.  At our Sunday morning market, when we have it available, it is sold very quickly - apparently a favorite with the afficionados.

At the farm, the plant grow to about 7m (approximately 20ft) and in comparison to other banana plants has a rather skinny pseudostem and is green beneath the dried brown upper layer.  The leaves tend to grow upright and only angles when it is about to die-off hence making it look tall and slim.  The upper side of the leaf is a dark green with a groove in the leave stem.  The underside of the leaf is a lighter green with a light green leaf stem. 
This plant produces multiple baby plants and it is best to keep it to 3-4 per group to ensure a higher and better quality yield.
The inflorescence is rather bitter hence is not consumed.  It takes approximately 2 months from when the inflorescence appears to the fruit maturing and ripening.

Bananas - Pisang Raja

A much sought-after banana, the pisang raja is amongst the most requested type of banana for making banana fritters.  There are so many varieties of bananas and this variety is classed biologically to be Musa Balbisiana.  Like many of the other banana plants, this variety also produces multiple baby plants as it matures.

To produce quality fruits, it is best to plant them 3m or 10' apart in high organic content soil that can retain moisture without being soggy.  As it produces multiple baby plants, for better quality and yield of fruits, it is best to reduce them to 2-3 plants per cluster.  It is imperative to ensure sufficient water and nutrients during the inflorescence stage.

As the fruit matures, it turns from green to yellow but not as bright a yellow as pisang lemak manis or emas.  It takes about 8 weeks from the inflorescence stage to maturity.  The fruit is more elongated and has defined edges without "sharp" lines.  The skin has a smooth, almost velvety texture.

Bananas - Pisang Lemak Manis

This is one of the more popular bananas eaten raw.  This banana is similar to pisang emas with the main difference being the size and color of the outer skin and the inner flesh of the banana itself.  At the farm, the plant grows to about 5-6m and each tandan can produce 8-10 sikat when cared for properly, especially in the early stages, prior to the production of the inflorescence.  Each plant produces several "baby" plants and selective removal of these baby plants contributes to the health and well-being of the remaining plants.

I like to harvest this banana when is it mature and just before the skin starts turning yellow as opposed to letting it ripen on the plant.  At this stage, the banana skin is a yellowish-green.  Often when it is left to ripen on the plant, it can "overgrow" causing the it to "burst" out of its skin.  Additionally, I can avoid my war with the birds.  The whole tandan can be hung in the house and watch the skin turn yellow.  I find it amazing to watch this transformation.

The taste is sweet and creamy with a relatively firm and smooth texture.  The inner part of the banana is a nice almost golden yellow.  It has a relatively thin skin and falls off the stem easily when ripe so handle carefully.  Conversely, the inflorescence is bitter.  This banana is also a good choice to be mashed and turned into baby food.

When this banana is over-ripe, it can be used to make delicious cucur kodok.  It also makes a delicious banana muffin or cake.

This banana is a good way to end a meal as it is purported to help with digestion.  With its smaller size, it takes only 3-4 bites to eat a banana so next time you want a healthy, tasty dessert, try a pisang emas.

Bananas - Care and Maintenance for healthy plants

Over the course of 3 years, I have learnt a lot about these plants.  It is my quest to have every type of this plants that is "local" to Malaysia which is not genetically modified.  In my own way, I am trying to preserve our banana heritage so that we all can share in the richness of our "banana culture".
To date, I have the following plants:

1. Pisang Abu Bunga
2. Pisang Awak
3. Pisang Berangan
4. Pisang Emas
5. Pisang Embun
6. Pisang Kapas
7. Pisang Kling
8. Pisang Lemak Manis
9. Pisang Lidi (Rotan)
10. Pisang Nangka
11. Pisang Raja
12. Pisang Rastali (Batik)
13. Pisang Telur
14. Pisang Udang

I am still looking for Pisang Tanduk and am finding it difficult to obtain.  So, if any of you know where I can get them, I would be happy to hear from you.
Each plant should be planted at least 10 feet apart or approximately 3.5m initially.  As each plant will produce a few baby plants before it is harvested, this will enable the small plants to grow without being crowded out of sunlight, nutrition and water, ensuring quality plants.  Selective removal of some of this smaller plants will also contribute to the overall quality of this group of plants.
Soil type and quality is also important for its growth.  The pseudostem (batang pisang)  has a high water content and this plant requires a lot of water however does not do well in soggy soil.  It is important to have soil that retains sufficient moisture for the plant hence it is best to have high organic content in the soil,  Continuous composting of the remains from the plant after harvesting is a cost-effective manner of adding organic content as well as fertilizing the plant.  To speed up the process of composting, at the farm, I chop of the remains and spread it around the base of the group of plants.
As the plant grows, frequent removal of the old or dried leaves serves a few purposes, amongst them, providing additional matter for composting, preventing the leaves of the older plants from impeding the growth of the younger plants as well ensuring an aesthetically eye-pleasing view.  By placing all these organic matter around the base, it keeps the base cool as well as help retain moisture.  This process is done at least monthly though I try to do it fortnightly - the number of plants at the farm being the challenge to accomplish this task.
By using these methods, we do not have to water the plants and can just rely on the normal rainfall for watering them.
I also place additional organic fertilizers about 1m away from the base of the group of plants every 3 months to provide additional nutrients for the plants.  The distance is important to prevent "root burning" as well as to encourage growth of roots and allow for natural absorption of nutrients by the plants themselves. 

Once the inflorescence has developed, it is important to ensure that ground moisture is sufficient so as to ensure proper development of the inflorescence - the start of the formation of all those lovely bananas.  When all the fruits have appeared, it is best to remove the remaining inflorescence so as to enable the bananas to receive the fullest nutrition for development.  The inflorescence can be eaten although not all of them taste good.  Certain species produce inflorescence that are not bitter and have a creamy and slightly sweet taste that can be consumed either raw, blanched or cooked.  Amongst the species are pisang abu batu, abu bunga and awak.

The period from the formation of the fruit to when it is ready for harvest varies according to species and growing conditions and can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 10 weeks on average. 

So, how do you know when the bananas are ready to be harvested, especially for the varieties that don't change the color of their skin?  Additionally, I like to harvest the bananas just before it is fully ripened to win the battle against the birds and ants.  There are several hints to the readiness for harvest.  The first, check the number of leaves left on the plant - there should be 3 or less green leaves left, the remaining already brown or yellow and drying off.  The second, look at the end of each fruit, it should already have turned black and the remaining flower petal dried black and fallen off.
Once the bananas have been harvested, it can be hung in a cool and airy area to further ripen.
Just remember to chop up the harvested plant and place them around the base of the group of plants so you will have a nice group of plants with the additional benefit of more organic content available for their growth.

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.

Bananas - Pisang Udang

This variety of banana is not commonly found and it makes an interesting addition to my collection of banana plants at the farm.  Due to its sweet and sour taste, it is not popular as banana fritters however to "cucur kodok" afficionados, this is THE banana to use to make them.  It ripens to a bright yellow with brown "spots". 
The plant grows to about 6-8m and the leaves have a reddish tinge to the stem.  The inflorescence tastes bitter so I don't recommend it if you plan to have it as ulam.  As with many of the other species, the first plant takes about 12 months before harvest the offsprings take about 8 months after the initial plant was planted before it will be ready for harvesting.

The skin is smooth but not waxy and is not thick, similar to other banana varieties that are eaten raw like pisang lemak manis. The outer flesh is creamy white and the inner flesh is a pale yellow.   Each banana averages about 6-8cm long and is ovalish in shape. This banana can be eaten raw and is a refreshing change with its slightly sour taste along with the sweet.  Try making serawa pisang with sagoo, coconut milk and nipah brown sugar - delicious.
So, to all you banana recipes experimenters, try this banana in your next attempt - you may be surprised.