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Green Plantains


InkblotJo

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So I've never actually cooked green plantains before... I was lazy and tried a microwave method (halve, split the skin, and nuke for 90 seconds). The peel came off relatively easy, but the flesh was still very hard, dry, and a little sour (like unripe banana, I suppose). Is that the way a cooked plantain is supposed to taste, or were they still undercooked? Thanks.

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I don't think I would want to eat them straight up, but even so, your cooking method doesn't sound like it cooked them enough. They should soften some with cooking. The best thing I know to do with green plantains is fry them You peel (which is a pain), cut into 1 inch chunks, fry in oil, remove from pan, flatten the fried chunk until it's about 1/4 inch high, and fry it again. Salt. Delicious! (They're called tostones in Puerto Rico, if you want to look for a detailed recipe or picture.) I also made a chicken and plantain curry that was yummy.

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Just bought some plantains the other day and was searching for recipes as I saw this thread. (I'm actually excited to get home and try to make these...)

http://www.amazingpaleo.com/2012/06/05/patacones-like-plantain-chips-but-better/

Also read a recipe where you just drizzle them (cut into slices) with coconut oil and salt/pepper, and stick in oven at 350 for 20 minutes...(and this one, varies a little from that - http://b-eingpaleofabulous.blogspot.com/2012/05/baked-plantains.html)

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  • 11 months later...

Cooked my first plantain this morning! It was a little yellow, but not fully ripe (inside it smelled just like a green banana). Verdict? I like them sliced thinly, fried in coconut oil until brown/black and crispy on the outside. The thicker slices I tried were too "starchy" tasting for me, if I'd cooked them any longer they'd have been burnt, so thin is how I'll do them in future. The one wonky end piece (pointy on one side, flat on the other) was the worst, I should have cut it much thinner, it didn't cook evenly.

 

I tried them with cinnamon and nutmeg, cinnamon, even a little bit of coconut sugar [coconut sugar is NOT Whole30 compliant - I'm post-Whole30]. I liked them best just in coconut oil, only just cool enough to eat :) Really don't need anything else.

 

Now I understand all the comments about not having leftovers, I intended to keep a slice to see how they kept, but I ate them all!

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Hi Praxisproject, I know you're post W30, so fine, but just to remind people (cos we've had a lot of questions about it) that coconut sugar is still sugar and so is not suitable during a W30.

 

I cut the ends of my plantains and throw them in the microwave for 3 mins. I find them easier to peel then, though i do need to hold them in a kitchen towel to peel as my hands are not made of asbestos :(  I then slice them fairly thinly and saute them in coconut oil or red palm oil. I'm too lazy to do the whole fry, remove from pan, smoosh, refry etc :) I do prefer the green ones though, I find when they get really ripe they taste too sweet to me, too much like a banana.

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The best way I've found to peel them is to slice each end off, then slit the skin lengthways, then use the whole length of your thumbs to pen up the skin. Don't try to peel them like a banana. http://www.africanchop.com/plantainsnack.htm

 

The green ones are a nice yam/potato/starch type vegetable, fried, boiled, or stewed. The yellow ones are a lot sweeter and sticker.

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I don't do the smooshing step--I slice them, thin if I'm taking my time, thicker if I'm impatient, sprinkle with a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, and fry in coconut oil over medium heat for several minutes on each side.  The riper plantains work better, because I like them soft and gooey inside.

 

There is an outside chance of having leftovers if I cook two plantains, absolutely no chance if I've only cooked one.  They keep for several days in the refrigerator (maybe longer, but I can't leave them alone that long!), but when reheated they're no longer crisp on the outside.

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They have to be double-fried! These are tostones.

 

What I love are maduros. They are overripe plantains and they are fried once. So good. I am not sure if they would be OK on the Whole30. They are very sweet, even without any added sugar.

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