We were complaining of the banana que being sold across the street when I was reminded of my grandmother, Mamay. (“Mamay” is a jumble of “mama” or mother and “may” or old/mature lady.) She used to cook banana que and its variants like turon and ginamos when we were still young.
I must admit I am not fond of eating cooked bananas other than those cooked with adobo. But everytime Mamay cooks a banana que, I am always enticed to eat. It was only in the past few days when I found why — and this is courtesy of the banana que seller across the street.
Ang paratinda sa ibong kan kalye minagamit ki sobra na ka-hinog na kalibo/saba. Dahil commercialized, an ginagamit pang batag su hinog sa pirit asin bako pa masyadong gurang. Resulta, bako masiram saka madali pang mahulog hale sa pantuhog. Dagdag pa an sobrang tamis na sabayan mo lang ki kapeng barako na warang asukar, solve na. Pero si Mamay, ginagamit niya an batag na tamang-tama sana an pagka-hinog o kaya ubal (half-ripe) pa. Pag hinog ng maray, ginigibo niya ining “ginamos”… something that is unknown to our banana que seller.
The past few days, we were given half-riped bananas by our neighbor. Well, we cooked excellent banana ques so we stopped being dependent from the seller across the street. Lately, however, the leftover bananas became over-riped so we thought of a way until I remember Mamay’s “ginamos”. Ginamos is a Bikol-Legazpi term for a delicacy composed of mashed ripe (usually over-riped) bananas mixed with rice flour, water and sugar, then fried. I think the root word is “gamos” which refers to “mashed and mixed foods or items”. It’s rarely used, though. Shall we say its a term that’s slowly becoming extinct?
I am not sure about measurements but maybe for those interested, this can be determined by understanding the purpose of each ingredient. The main ingredient, of course, is banana specifically saba (or sabah?) called in Bikol as Kalibo. That’s the focus of the delicacy. The end result, therefore, should showcase the taste of the banana. Then we have rice flour. Its main purpose is just to ensure that the other ingredients stick together specially when fried. Too much flour might ruin the taste or overpower the sweetness of the banana. Another is sugar, which is to enrich also the taste of the flour. Then, oil for deep frying. After mixing the banana, rice flour and sugar, the mixture is shaped according to one’s desires (usually, palm sized), then deep fried until the color is brown.
As an experiment and for lack of rice flour, we used wheat flour, sugar, mashed over ripe bananas and egss. The result: Ginamos a la Pancake!
www.biklish.com 
When we were kids mama cooked ginamos for us. But I think she whipped up a different version because the banana wasn’t mashed, just cubed. To keep them intact, she used large pili leaves to pour enough of the flour base & the banana. Everything goes into the heated oil. When cooked, the leaf is simply peeled off the ginamos and voila!
And you’re right, commercialized ginamos is always disappointing. [And in several foodhouses here, o Lordhavemercy, their attempts at concocting Bikol express is laughable]. Sabi kan tugang ko, warang siram, warang arang, dai lamang ako nabungag.
Oh dear, I can’t remember when I last had a serving of decent ginamos, or baduya, for that matter. Haysus, ika kaya, pinarumdum mo… Hehe…Pero grabe ah, pacensiya na I’m raiding you with all these comments. [pangatulo na ini]…
Bottom line…Thanks!
welcome sa blog, dtn!
about raiding my blog with comments, warang problema. may sense man mga comments mo tsaka informative. mala ta narumduman ko igwa man nanggad akong nanamitan na ginamos na cubes ang pagka-slice sa batag. that was tasty also and enjoyable. sa pagkagat mo kaya kan ginamos, biglang may garo bomba na malumoy tsaka matamis kang mananamitan. lalo na kung medyo napasobrahan ang harina, mananamitan mo asin mamamatean an pagkakaiba kaini asin kan batag. 🙂
tunay man su sinabi mong pag-gamit ki dahon ki pili. pampahamot kaya ito apuwera sa nasisiguro niyang intact an mga ingredients. saro man na alternatibo sa dahon kan pili iyo an dahon kan cacao.
ayos! matesting daw giraray lalo na an baduya heheheh.
salamat sa pagbisita.
iyo. masiram an ginamos kung bako masyadonun na ripe ung kalibo/saba. masiram ito pagmiryendahan pag abot ali sa eskuwela.. pampaamot ung dahon lalo nagasiram dahil duman sa dahon. 🙂
…iyo masiram talaga yan, nanamitan ko naman ang arog kaan na mirendalan… pero may hapot ako,,, parehas daw yan sa “Baduya” o medjo iba po?… curious lng po:)
medyo pareho. ang kaibahan: an baduya o sinapot kadalasan bako pa over-ripe an batag, tsaka an slice pahalaba and into halves. this is as opposed to ginamos na medyo pino an paka-slice saka an iba may halong lukaron.
ai salamat po:)
masiram man nang gad an “Sinapot”sa sorsogon an apod kaiyan. pero bossing Carizo may mas masiram pa kaiyan..
“Palan-tap!” rumdom ko kang sultero pa ako maduman kami sa bulod an dara-dara mi lang tinapa, asin, bawang sibuyas, ta an niyog yaon na sa bulod. an palantap garo sauce lang pero bikol style, malab-on kami ning doma (saging saba, kamote, kamoteng kahoy, palawan asin rimas, tapos lulutuon mi sa gata an tinapa may sibuyas, bawang, sagkod sili! tapos mga duwang buok na niyog hanggang sa mag kantap an guta, saka mi idudot-dot an linab-unan na doma siram sana kan pamati! uso yan samu.
daing ibang nag guibo kaiyan sa sorsogon sana….
Palan-tap, that’s new to my ears. Pero garo masiramon an sinasabi mo lalo na ta nai-imagine ko an nagmumuru-mantika na lada.
I was here because I thought you were referring to the Bisayan version of “ginamos” – salted fish that gives off repulsive smell, but a golden delicacy for many folks in the Visayas region, including me. Anyway, good info, I learned something new today. 🙂