Ginisang Puso ng Saging

They say that the secret to a delicious meal is cooking it with lots of love. And so perhaps the best way to make sure of this is by involving some heart as we cook— literally! At the heart of this Ginisang Puso ng Saging recipe is an ingredient that Filipinos love to work with in their food because of its health benefits and unique texture.

Banana heart, also known as puso ng saging and banana heart, is a delicious component we like to add in soup dishes, as well as salads. It has a sense of sweetness to it, and is also pleasantly bitter. Research shows it could also help manage high cholesterol levels, as well as aid those struggling with their blood sugar. Another plus is that it has plenty of nutrients like fiber, potassium and zinc.

Of course, we work with plenty more yummy ingredients to whip this dish up. It would be best to get to know them by using them in the kitchen!

How to Cook Ginisang Puso ng Saging

1. Preparing the puso ng saging

First of all, you must clear your 1 banana heart, and slice this up into thin pieces. Pour ½ cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water into a large bowl, and mix these together. Then put your banana heart slices inside. Rub 1 tablespoon of salt onto the puso ng saging. Soak this for 10 to 20 minutes in the mixture. Afterwards, drain the liquid mixture, and wring the banana heart slices a chunk at a time to get the liquid to come out. Then just sit this aside for now.

2. Getting the sotanghon ready

We will need 2 ounces of vermicelli, also known as sotanghon, for this. Soak your vermicelli in 2 cups of water for 12 minutes. Once the time is up, you can drain the water, and set your sotanghon aside.

3. Cooking the garlic, onion and pork

Now pour 3 tablespoons of cooking oil into a pan. Add 3 cloves of garlic, and 1 onion. Sauté these together until you get your onion to soften. And then put 8 ounces of thinly sliced pork inside the pan. Keep everything cooking until the pork browns.

4. Adding some water

Add 1 cup of water, and then put your cover on top. Wait for the water to boil. Then adjust your heat between low to medium setting, and just cook everything until the liquid evaporates completely.

5. Integrating banana heart and seasonings

Get your sliced banana heart from earlier. Toss these into the mixture, and sauté them for 2 minutes. Now put your remaining 1 cup of water inside as well, and let this boil. Add 1 Knorr Pork Cube before you cover your pan. Now just continue cooking until we reduce the water to half. We want the puso ng saging to soften fully though, and so it is important to pour more water if you think the banana heart slices need more cooking.

Once that’s done, you can take the cover off. Add some fish sauce and ground black pepper as needed, and that’s it! You’ve made a healthy, delicious Ginisang Puso ng Saging all by yourself, which deserves some applause. You could have this alone, but it would also go well with the classic white rice.

And now that you’ve learned how to work with banana heart, why not try more dishes with this yummy ingredient?

More Recipes with Puso ng Saging

Ginataang Puso Ng Saging

If dishes like Ginisang Puso Ng Saging is your cup of tea then you are sure to enjoy this one. That is, unless you are not a fan of the ever creamy and delicious taste of coconut milk. I love Ginataang Puso ng Saging because it is a simple, but hearty and tasty recipe. It has Thai chili peppers too to add a kick! And by simple, what I mean is that we only need about a half hour to recreate it. But like I said about our Ginisang Puso ng Saging, I would recommend having this with some rice.

Kilawing Puso Ng Saging

Want something a bit saltier and more sour? This flavorful Puso Ng Saging is the recipe to turn to! Not only is it flavorful and filling, but it is also budget-friendly. It makes use of affordable ingredients, and is able to get you all the nutrients you will need. And like the aforementioned recipe, this one has a bit of spiciness to it because of our long green chili peppers. But they contain a lot less heat, and so they are perfect for those who only want the mildest spice.

Oxtail Kare-Kare

What is kare-kare without puso ng saging? The component matches perfectly with the overall peanut-y taste of the dish, and has a satisfying texture that complements oxtail. Yes, that’s right, we utilize oxtail, or the tail of a cow, for this dish! That’s because we would like some tenderness to our meat. Just be warned that Oxtail Kare-Kare takes quite a lot of time to make— almost three hours— due to the great deal of veggies we need to use.

If you have any questions about making Ginisang Puso ng Saging, don’t hesitate to comment them down below!

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag us on Instagram at @panlasangpinoy or hashtag #panlasangpinoy so we can see your creations!