Grilled Bananas with Sesame Seeds

Simply delicious, grilled baby bananas are a typical street food in Thailand.
 Long rows of these miniature fruits lay above smoldering charcoals, absorbing the smoky aroma. I transform this into a more complete dessert by drizzling them with rich condensed milk, toss on a few sesame seeds, and a final negligible pinch of salt balances the sweetness.

Serves 4–6
 Preparation time: 5 mins
 Cooking time: 20 mins

8–12 small ripe “finger” bananas

¼ cup (65 ml) sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Pinch of sea salt or kosher salt

1 Rinse the bananas, do not peel. Preheat a grill over medium heat. Distribute the bananas on the grill and cook, rotating often for about 10–20 minutes depending on variety and ripeness.

2 Remove to a serving platter, rest for 3 minutes to cool down slightly, then carefully make an incision along the top of each banana allowing you to pull back the skin to expose the now roasted sweet banana.

3 Serve warm, drizzled with condensed milk, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds and touch of salt.

Fresh Sweet Pineapple with Chili Salt

Yes, chili and fruit. It’s common all across Southeast Asia and once you taste it you will understand why it’s so popular of a flavor experience. I must admit, even the best chef cannot create flavor profiles as amazing as those naturally found in nature—especially fruit. That’s why just a touch of spicy salt is all some fruit needs to balance the inherently sweet taste. I have even added some kaffir lime leaves (or lime zest) to the salt mixture. Once you have some of this chili salt on hand you will find many uses—some traditionally Asian like grilled seafood dipped in it (I like to squeeze a bit of lime first) and some more contemporary uses like on popcorn, French fries, or the even the rim of a cocktail.

Serves 4–6
 Preparation time: 10 mins

2–4 Thai chilies, preferably red

2 tablespoons sea salt or kosher salt

2 tablespoons sugar

Platter of Assorted Fruit: pineapple, mangos, pomelo segments, green guavas, or green apples

1 Grind the chilies, salt and sugar in a mortar or mini-food processor until the chilies are finely ground. If the mixture becomes wet (some chilies are very moist), spread them out and bake at 250ºF (115ºC) for about ½ hour until dried, then grind in dried mortar or processor again.