Puso ng saging (banana heart/bud) is usually cooked sauteed in coconut milk and flavored with smoked fish. I’ve always wanted to try out something new with it so I’ve come up with vegetable spring rolls filled with puso ng saging. This time, what I’ve done is to utilize it in making burgers. This recipe is not originally mine. I learned this from my friend Suzette. We used to make burgers made of puso ng saging and ground pork. Once, though, we forgot to buy the ground pork and decide to proceed making burgers anyway using just puso ng saging. We never looked back.

Banana Heart Burger

1 puso ng saging
1 tsbp salt
1 small carrots, grated
1 small onion, chopped finely
1 bunch of kinchay, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 tsp black pepper, cracked
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour

To use the puso ng saging, remove the red layers till you get to the yellowish core. Chop the core finely then add the salt. Mix then press the chopped core to remove as much liquid as you can. Put in a bowl then add carrots, kinchay, onion, garlic, black pepper, Worcesterchire sauce and olive oil. Mix thoroughly before adding the eggs and flour. I usually cook about a tbsp of this mixture to check for taste. Adjust taste according to your preference. Shape into burger patties then pan fry in a non-stick pan. To assemlble the burger, toast sliced bread. Spread mayonaise on one side, add sliced cheese then the patty. Top with slice cucumber and tomatoes and a dollop of coleslaw. Cover with toasted sliced bread.

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