Ramadhan

Ramadhan is a special month of the year for Muslims throughout the world. During this month Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset every day. It is time for inner reflection, self-control and devotion to God. In the month of Ramadhan, we usually eat sweets to break our fast.

In Indonesia, when Ramadhan comes, we can find the traditional desserts from around the world, especially street vendors. They sell the variation of sweet before Iftar. This type of dessert known as jajanan pasar, jajanan means to buy some food from street vendors, pasar means market), because normally the food they sell in the market instead of street. Today, I will going to make some of Indonesian traditional food, they called this food as KOLAK PISANG.

Kolak pisang (braised banana with palm sugar and coconut gravy) is a local dessert that is already familiar throughout this vast archipelago. Some hotels make this sweet dessert on the menu list. The filling can vary from one region to another. The fragrant leaves of a type of Pandanus sometimes known as fragrant screwpine, this is tied in a knot and is used to flavor desserts and pastries.

Ingredients:
1 pandan leaf (screwpine leaf)
2 big cubes of Palm Sugar
1 can of Toddy Palm Fruit
15 bananas
5 large sweet potato
1 can of coconut milk, add 2 cup of water
1 1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Directions:
- Peel skin from sweet potato, wash clean, cut into small cubes, place in a boiling pan
- Peel the banana skin, make small cuts and place in the boiling pan along with sweet potato
- Cut half each toddy palm fruit if desire, if not, leave it as its natural round, put into the boiling pan as well (without the water)
- Tie knot the screwpine leaf and add it into the pan
- Add sugar, salt, palm sugar, coconut milk, and the water into the pan
- Bring to boil everything inside the pan until sweet potato become tender, taste the soup if its sweet enough for you, turn off the stove.
- serve warm or cold is desired