Banana Sauce/Ketchup

Here is a good recipe for Filipino banana ketchup in case you can't find it or want some without any preservatives or additives in it. I drove over 60 miles south to the nearest Asian market only to find out that they were sold out of banana sauce/ketchup. I went to another Asian market 6 miles from there to find out that they didn't carry it. I thought about driving over 60 miles north to the next nearest Asian market but decided to try to make my own banana sauce/ketchup. I found a recipe that didn't include tomato paste which I didn't want to add since it was created due to a tomato shortage in the Philippines and originally didn't include tomatoes. I could taste the bananas in it when I tasted it but the banana flavor disappears when you make Filipino spaghetti with it. I'm interested in seeing how it tastes on a burger or hotdog or even dipping fries into it. This recipe makes enough for 2 pots of Filipino spaghetti. The Filipino spaghetti recipe I have calls for spicy banana sauce/ketchup so I added crushed red pepper flakes to it. It took about 15 minutes to make the banana ketchup.
Ingredients:
4 ripe bananas
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar, white or rice vinegar will do
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 cloves of garlic
1 tsp ginger, either fresh grated or dried ground
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes or 1 tsp chili powder (optional)
Directions:
Thoroughly mash the bananas with a fork. Add to a pot. Add brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and optional red pepper flakes/chili powder to the pot. Finely mince the garlic and add to the pot. Stir to mix and turn on medium high heat. When bubbles start forming, turn heat to low and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. If not thick enough, cook for 1 to 3 minutes more. You can use a hand mixer or immersion mixer to blend it smooth but it isn't necessary. Spoon into a jar to keep for a week in the refrigerator or into quart freezer bags to freeze. Thaw to add to recipes or use as a dipping sauce. Enjoy!