Plantains look like big bananas and they are often used in savory dishes. They are a starchy fruit, which is lower in sugar and firmer than dessert bananas. You can get them at African, Hispanic and Caribbean grocery stores, as well as natural food stores.
While plantains are green, they are savory and can be used in curry recipes or to make chips. They taste like potatoes when they are unripe and they are used in the Caribbean and parts of South America like potatoes are used in other parts of the world.
As plantains become ripe, they stay starchy but get sweeter and you can use them to make authentic Mexican dessert recipes and more. You should use them for desserts when the skin is turning brown but before it goes black.
Facts About Plantains
Bananas are usually eaten raw but plantains are normally cooked or processed. You can boil, bake, steam or fry plantains for savory dishes and you can eat very ripe plantains raw.
Plantains are popular in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Peru, Guatemala, Belize, Guatemala, Cuba, Honduras, and the United States, as well as in Caribbean communities. They are grown in Hawaii, the Southern United States, Central America, the Canary Islands, the region around the Mediterranean Sea and the Caribbean, amongst other places. They grow as far north as Northern California.
Some cultures use other parts of the plantain plant, as well as the fruit itself. In Peru, people use the cut up plantain leaves for wrapping tamales, instead of using corn stalks. In southern India, the leaves are used as plates. In some areas of Africa, the young shoots and soft, central plant stalk are often cooked and eaten.
Steamed plantains are considered a healthy food for the elderly and for infants and ripe plantains can be mashed with salt to feed to weaning infants. This is believed to be easier to digest than a ripe banana.
Recipe for Baked Plantains with Strawberries
This tasty Mexican food recipe combines soft baked plantains with strawberries, cream, vanilla, cinnamon and more for a gourmet Mexican dessert. This dish is easy to make and your family will love it. You can use raspberries instead of the strawberries if you prefer.
What you will need:
2 ripe plantains
3 teaspoons white sugar
1/3 cup softened cream cheese
2 teaspoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup fresh strawberries
1/4 cup heavy cream
Chocolate ice cream syrup, for garnish
How to make it:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Slice the plantains lengthwise and put them in a greased glass baking dish, flat side up. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, water, and vanilla and drizzle this mixture over the plantains. Bake them for half an hour or until very soft. Beat the cream, white sugar and cream cheese. Spoon this topping over the plantains and finish off with the strawberries and chocolate ice cream syrup.
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