Chocolatey Fish Sauce Caramel Banana Bread
Chocolatey Fish Sauce Caramel Banana Bread
Umami (aka the savory, fifth taste) stimulates salivation (mouth-watering sensation) through a gustatory-salivary reflex which works as a flavor enhancer, amplifying other tastes, including salty, sweet, and bitter, making them more pronounced and potent. Fish sauce is rich in umami, and while you may have never baked with it before, all that is going to change once you try this banana bread. The salty, savory fish sauce actually enhances the taste, making the sugary sweet notes more prominent (and delicious!).
To really compliment the sweetness of banana bread, I make an easy fish sauce hard caramel, which I then shatter into small pieces (with either a pestle or knife) and fold it into the batter. The result are small pockets of sugary-salty, umami-rich fish sauce shared that melt and complement the banana bread. The rest of the banana bread is fairly stanard, relying on very ripe bananas to boost sweetness, with the saltiness of the fish sauce providing a perfect balance.
Ingredients
- 3 very ripe bananas
- ½ cup unsalted butter(8 tablespoons), melted
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) granulated sugar, plus 150 grams (3/4 cup) divided
- 110 grams (1/2) cup brown sugar, plus 55 grams (1/4 cup) divided
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 180 grams (1 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 ounces(225 grams) chocolate chips or bar, roughly chopped
Directions
- Make the fish sauce caramel shards: Prepare a plate or pan with a sheet of parchment paper and set aside. Add 150 grams (3/4 cup) granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, and 1 tablespoon of water to a saucepan over medium heat and let the sugar slowly dissolve and then become golden-brown, about five minutes. Do not stir! It will cause crystallization to occur. Once it reaches a deep golden brown (almost bronze!), turn off heat and pour over the prepared parchment in a thin layer and let harden for five minutes before shattering into small pieces with a knife or another blunt object.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a loaf pan. In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until smooth. Add the melted butter, reserved granualted sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and other tablespoon of fish sauce, and vanilla extract mixing to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing between until well incorporated.
- Fold in the flour and baking soda until combined. Fold in the fish sauce caramel shards and chocolate. Pour into a greased loaf pan and sprinkle with reserved 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from loaf pan and enjoy
