Kilawing puso ng saging – Kilawin is the term in the Tagalog region of the Philippines. It is method of cooking with vinegar – lots of it actually. The puso ng saging is soaked in water and squeezed out before putting it in the pan. It can get really sticky. Thankfully it sticks just on the side of the pan, so you just have to spoon it off frequently. Well, if you want to try this kilawing puso ng saging, just follow the recipe guide below.
Kilawing Puso ng Saging Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 small onion – sliced
- 1 puso ng saging (banana heart) – about 500 gm
- 125 g cooked shelled clams/mussels – roughly chopped or flaked canned tuna
- 3/4 cup vinegar
- 1 1/2 cup water or shrimp juice*
- salt and pepper to taste
Cooking Instructions:
- Unwrap the banana heart (see above left) until you get to the mainly white part (see above right). Cut off the stem part and discard together with the skin that you unwrapped.
- Put 8 cups of water in a large bowl and add around 3 Tbsp salt. Make sure salt is dissolved in the water.
- Slice the banana heart into 1/2 inch thick pieces. As you slice, immediately put them in the bowl of salted water. This is to prevent them from turning black. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a saucepan. Saute garlic and onion.
- Add in the clams or mussels meat. Season with salt and pepper according to taste. Cook for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat.
- Add in vinegar and water, bring to boil.
- Drain the banana heart and squeeze out excess water.
- Stir in the the banana heart into the saucepan. Simmer until fully cooked – about 5-10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and serve.
Note: For the shrimp juice – mash heads and shells of fresh shrimps with mortar and pestle; mix well in water then strain. Discard shrimp shells.

Looking for other Lutong Pinoy Recipes to try on? Feel free to check out our pork recipes, chicken recipes and desserts.
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