cooking plantain

pavlovs_dog

we discovered plantain whilst on holiday in cuba in september, and would love to try cooking it at home. any old stylers got any hints or tips on things to do with it? had a search but it doesnt seem to be that common.

OH managed to pick some up cheap in tescos because the SA mistook them for bananas, which are considerably cheaper lol

richyg

I have had them from the Carribean stalls on Birmingham market. They are nice with a fried breakfast. Cut in 1 cm rings or lenghways and gently fry in a little oil. They are not as sweet as a banana by any stretch - but cooking slowly caramalises the sugars a little. We had them with eggs and bacon as a substitute for fried potatoes. DD (2) and DS (5) enjoyed them also.:T

Alternatvely I think they can be baked in the skins.

pavlovs_dog

mmm loving the breakfast idea

scubaloo

If you get the savoury plantains - underripe and green - you can make majado(sp?) which is basically plantain mash. chop them up and boil them til soft, then mash them up. its nice with some peanut sauce. You can alsoo make patacones which are v unhealthy but very nice. Slice up, deep fry until golden, drain, then squish them down until the slice is fairly flat (you can rub with garlic if you want) then fry again until crispy. Yum. For the sweeter, ripe, yellow ones you can slice and fry up with a bit of sugar so they go all gooey.
I think the patacones are the best mmmmm

purpleivy

I understand you can slice very thinly to make 'crisps' but never done them.

pavlovs_dog

thats how they were mostly served to us in cuba purpleivy. great to hear so many different ideas of things to do with them though

mamamia

Green Plantain- Slice it thinly and fry as chips. You can also cut them into big chunks and boil, not very tasty but nutritious.

Yellow(ripe) Plantain- you can do alot of things with this. Peel and roast it whole, very delicious eaten with peanut. You can also fry it in slices until golden brown or you can boil it as you would boil potato. And if it is really ripe, you can eat it raw.

CharleneUK

I also fry plantains as already mentioned with egg, beans, toast etc.

I occasionally like it boiled, like potato for instance and cut it into 3 chunks and eat it like that with rice and chicken.

pavlovs_dog

people keep mentioning peanuts. in what form? just plain peanuts, roasted/salted, peanut butter, satay type sauce...?

pavlovs_dog

another question... for those who mash it, do you mash it with anything (ie milk and butter like people do with potato)? or just on its own as you a banana?

Penelope_Penguin

pavlovs_dog wrote: »

we discovered plantain whilst on holiday in cuba in september, and would love to try cooking it at home. any old stylers got any hints or tips on things to do with it? had a search but it doesnt seem to be that common.

OH managed to pick some up cheap in tescos because the SA mistook them for bananas, which are considerably cheaper lol

We have a good friend from Barbados. She and her husband made us maple pancakes for breakfast. Cook the plantain in plenty of butter until soft. Make pancakes (the Shrove Tuesday ones, not drop scones). Add maple syrup to the plantain and serve with pancakes. They ate them with fried crispy bacon, too.

Penny. x