Fermented Bananas

First ate these at Kampung Senang a year ago. There it was, a big jar filled with banana pieces bubbling away in active lacto fermentation. They served it neat with a topping of chia seed gel. They tasted fizzy, tart and sweet.

I figured that this is a great way to use your banana if you've got too much to handle. Besides getting the goodness of the 'happy' fruit plus loads of living enzymes into system. I call the banana a happy fruit because it is loaded with tryptophan, the chemical that gives a positive mood boost to the brain makes you on overall, a better person.

Moreover, fermenting bananas makes it go a longer way. When we do raw foods, it is sometime inevitable that you buy in the bulk. You don't buy a few bananas right? And you can't have banana smoothies everyday! The fermentation can also be slowed down when you place the bananas into the fridge.

So, I can add a scoopful of fermented bananas to my smoothie instead of the good ol' fruit neat from the bunch - and I'm getting additional goodness of the lactobacilli and other nutrients that fermentation creates.

Don't get queasy about fermentation ;-). Here I use raw apple cider vinegar with the 'mother' to inject a known fermenting agent....do a very small jar and you will be surprised.

Here goes:

• Get your glass jar sterilised with hot water
• Cut up your banana into pieces and fill the jar leaving at least 4 inches from the jar lid - (you don't want it overflowing when it starts to come alive)
• Cover with black/molasses sugar or agave if you can afford to ration is 1:3 (1 part sugar to 3 parts of banana)
• Pour in half a cup of apple cider vinegar with the "mother" (e.g. Braggs or Eden organic apple cider vinegar)

Cover the jar and let it stand for one and a half days before you eat it.

Enjoy!