Practical, effective way to remove sap from 'Puso ng Saging'
MANILA, Philippines — You love Ginataang Puso ng Saging but you’d rather buy than cook your own because you hate the feel of the stubborn sap of the puso ng saging on your hands. Once you slice and chop puso ng saging, the sap comes out and covers the vegetable, turning into sticky strands that are difficult to remove.
So how do you remove it?
Some soak the sliced puso ng saging in cold water and squeeze to remove the bitter sap. Others soak it in warm water. There are those who soak it in water with salt for 15 to 30 minutes then squeeze out the salted water, add fresh water to the puso ng saging, and squeeze out again, and then repeat the procedure one more time. Or you can soak it in vinegar, although a certain degree of sourness may stick to the vegetable even after squeezing it.
Recently, I found another practical — and effective — way of removing sticky sap off sliced puso ng saging. Get a barbecue stick, stick it into an area of the sliced puso ng saging, clasp the stick with both hands, and keep rolling back and forth. Strands of sap will get caught on the stick. Simply remove and repeat the process in different areas of the sliced vegetable. You will get a significant amount of sap out of the puso ng saging this way.
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