Desserts

Ai-moos (plantain bananas in coconut milk)

A soft, creamy Timorese dessert made from ripe plantain bananas slowly cooked in coconut milk sweetened with palm sugar. It is eaten warm or cold, often at the end of a meal or during celebrations.

35 min
4 servings
Medium
Budget-friendly
🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

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Ingredients

3 Very ripe plantain bananas
400 ml Coconut milk
100 g Palm sugar (gula aren, or brown sugar if you can't find it)
1 Pinch of salt
1 tsp Vanilla extract (optional)

Spices & seasoning

A little ground cinnamon

Optional extras

2 tbsp Grated coconut

Instructions

Peel the bananas and cut them into thick slices of about 2 cm.
In a saucepan, heat the coconut milk over medium heat with the palm sugar and the pinch of salt, stirring until fully dissolved.
Add the banana slices and let them simmer gently for 15 minutes, without boiling hard so the milk doesn't split.
Check the cooking: the bananas should be tender but still whole, and the sauce slightly thickened and glossy.
Flavour with vanilla if you're using it, then let it rest for 5 minutes off the heat.
Serve warm or cold, sprinkled with cinnamon and grated coconut if you have some.