Monkey Bananas

Hey, have I told you about the tours I have been doing at Prahran Market?

No? Oops sorry.

Well instead of me rabbiting on, have a look here and here or even better just come along one Saturday! All the details are here.

Now the intention of this post was not the market but these extremely cute monkey bananas that I brought after a tour a few weeks ago.

This variety are my absolute, hands down favourite. Firm texture, even when very ripe and small enough that they are not a meal in themselves as some of those ginormous cavendish bananas can be.

What I loved so much about these hands in particular was the bunch on the right, they were particularly tiny, just minuscule as you can see next to the 20 cent piece.

I asked at the counter as I paid for them, "so, do you have any smaller?" The woman looked at me with the strangest frown and then just absolutely cracked up.
"No, they are the smallest".

I totally believed her.

Guess what I found at the market!

Look what I found at the Prahran market!

I made an effort to look for these at various european markets, as I thought I could not get them in Australia. Then as soon as I am home, look what I stumbe across on my local organic shelves.



So... what is it?


Jack

Unlaid eggs???

I openly call myself a food nerd, people usually laugh and shake their head no, while thinking yes... so I was surprised to stumble across something very interesting at Prahran market last weekend. At first I didn't quite believe the butcher until I got thinking about it this week and then did some research (see I told you, food nerd!).
In little round plastic takeaway containers one of the poultry butchers had about ten small little orange balls that looked like perfectly round egg yolks. I enquired after staring for a while and were told that they were unlaid eggs. Now most people would probably be grossed and try and not think about it any more, but I asked what you would use them for. I was informed that they are great dropped into soup or to make an amazingly rich custard.
The research I turned up was this article from the New York Times and this amazing photo
Tony Cenicola/The New York Times


I didn't buy them but immediately now think of a curry I had in Laos that I bet had them in it, and I reckon I have also had them in 'special' pho soups on Victoria St.

What do you reckon? Too freaky? Do you have a recipe?
Jack