Recipe of Panamanian Chocao, a Delicious Dessert Made with Bananas

We'll show you how to make Panamanian "chocao", a dessert with unripe bananas as the main ingredient, and which provides a lot of energy and potassium.

Written and verified by the nutritionist Saúl Sánchez Arias.

Last update: 04 August, 2022

Panamanian chocao is a dessert with excellent nutritional value. It’s made with guineo (unripe, green bananas) a fruit high in potassium, proteins and folic acid. In fact, in some cultures, it’s considered to be a superfood.

In any case, it’s an excellent alternative to introduce into the diet and increase variety. In addition, it’s easy to prepare. We’re going to tell you everything you need to know to achieve the best result.

How to prepare Panamanian chocao?

Ingredients

To prepare an exquisite chocao panameño, you will need the following ingredients:

• 15 guineos (unripe bananas)
• 2 packs of cinnamon sticks
• 1 piece of ginger
• 1 shredded coconut
• 1 cup evaporated milk

Instructions

1. Mash the bananas and place them in a pot of boiling water.
2. Cook for about 3 minutes.
3. Add the cinnamon along with the finely chopped ginger.
4. Then, add the coconut and continue cooking until all the ingredients are well mixed.
5. Finally, add the milk and serve.

Another alternative of the Panamanian “chocao”

We’re going to show you another alternative way to prepare Panamanian chocao. In this case, the ingredients needed are the following:

• 6 ripe bananas
• One grated coconut
• 1 piece of ginger
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• Honey or sugar to taste

Step by step

1. Peel the bananas and cut them lengthwise, removing the inner part.
2. Then, cook them with the coconut milk. It’s important to crush them progressively.
3. Add the sliced ginger along with the salt and the sweet.
4. Cook until the mixture dries.
5. Add a little coconut at the end, along with half a cup of hot water.
6. Knead well, squeeze and strain.

Benefits of the Panamanian chocao

The Panamanian chocao is a dessert that provides a good amount of energy, so it’s especially suitable for athletes. The carbohydrates present in it can promote an optimal recovery, although you need to consume them together with a good amount of proteins. Thus, glycogen resynthesis is maximized, as evidenced by research published in the journal Nutrients.

Moreover, this dessert is a source of potassium, an element that helps reduce blood pressure, exerting an antagonistic effect to that of sodium. A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association confirms this. One of the keys to correcting episodes of hypertension is to equalize the intake of both minerals in the diet.

Panamanian chocao, a nutrient-dense dessert

As you have seen, Panamanian chocao is a simple-to-prepare dessert that can provide plenty of energy and a good amount of essential micronutrients. In addition, it has a good phytochemical content, so it would help to control the levels of inflammation and oxidation in the body. This is key to prevent the development of chronic and complex pathologies over the years.