If you fancy something a little different that you may never have experienced before, why not try this simple plantain recipe? It’s versatile, and can be eaten both as a savoury or sweet dish, depending on your mood of course.
In this post, we are going to show you how to make delicious, fried and caramelised plantains to perfection. Trust us, once you have tried these, you’ll never look back and you’ll be sourcing out plantains as a staple food for good.
What Is Plantain?
In simple terms, plantains are like giant bananas, and are in fact from the genus musa family like the humble banana itself. But, they’re BIG! Most people will have seen them whilst perusing the isles of Asian or African stores, as these countries are where they are consumed the most.
Plantains look like a large banana, and you’d be forgiven for thinking they are in fact a banana. However, if you try to eat one (especially if it is not fully ripe), then you will probably be a little disappointed. This fruit is supposed to be enjoyed cooked, rather than raw and that’s how we are going to use it in this fried and caramelised plantain recipe.
Is Plantain Healthy?
Yes, plantains are healthy! They are packed full of nutrients and that all important fibre that we all need to keep our guts healthy and regular. But, how healthy are they? And what health benefits do plantains have?
Here’s a more thorough breakdown:-
1. Fibre
Both bananas and plantains are a wonderful, fibrous food that a great to eat on a daily basis. Fibre helps drags toxins out of your digestive tract, keeps you fuller for longer. It also helps with weight loss due to those slow burn sugars.
2. Healthy Gut
Plantain is high in both resistant starch and fibre (both of which act as prebiotics), which serves to promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria. This in turn helps to boost the immune system and prevent constipation.
3. Vitamins
Plantains are rich in vitamin C, A, and B6, all of which help to support skin health and the immune system.
4. Minerals
Like their banana counterpart, plantain is high in potassium and magnesium. This makes them great for sleep, aching muscles, and heart health promotion when eaten regularly.
The leaves are also super high in nutrients, so where you can, always buy them with your plantain and add to smoothies or salads raw for a big hit of nutrients.
5. Blood Sugar Control
Because plantains are high in resistant starch, it makes them low on the glycemic index scale, making them suitable for those with diabetes. Plantains promote stable blood sugar due to resistant starches being released into the blood stream slowly, thus preventing a high and fast sugar spike.
6. Easily Digestible
Plantain’s fibre and mineral content make them easy on the stomach and highly digestible. This makes them an especially good carbohydrate source for those with gluten and other intolerances.
Add a side of our delicious, fried and caramelised plantains to any meal and they will help you to digest your entire meal more easily.
7. Versatility
Like a potato, plantains are highly versatile and can be prepared in a multitude of ways. And like potatoes, they too can be cooked in a healthy or unhealthy way by either grilling, frying in oil, or baking.
8. Nutritious Leaves
The leaves of plantain are also a great source of iron, calcium, potassium, and vitamins A, K, B, and C. Young and tender leaves can be added to salads, or covered in a healthy dressing and eaten raw.
The Healing Properties Of Plantain
Not only is plantain good for eating, but over the ages it has historically been used to treat all sorts of ailments. Whether these claims have been studied and verified is another story, but Traditional Medicine can be very effective and was sometimes the only thing available before modern medicine intervened.
Please check out this article on Medicinal Plantain Benefits for sources of studies and research into how effective plantains are in a medicinal sense.
In fact, the Saxons included plantains on their list of nine sacred herbs way back in the 10th century, showing just how long this wonderful fruit has been a staple food.
Some of the medicinal uses for plantains include:-
- COUGH, COLD & CHEST PROBLEMS – Plantain leaves are thought to have anti inflammatory properties that help deal with infections in the the upper respiratory tract. This helps with coughs, colds, and other chest problems.
- SKIN ISSUES – Plantain may help deal with skin problems, inflamed skin, and irritations because of its active compound ‘allantoin’. Allantoin helps to soothe skin and promotes the growth of healthy skin tissue. All you need to do is cut the leaves and rub directly onto problem areas.
- DIABETES – Plantain contain seeds (known as psyllium) are ground down and used as a supplement to your diet. Psyllium is a water soluble fibre that can help stabilise and control blood sugar levels, thus helping those with blood sugar problems and diabetes in-particular. Add psyllium husk to your morning smoothies, porridge, or just in water to stabilise blood sugar for the day ahead.
- LOWERS HIGH CHOLESTEROL – Psyllium husk made from plantain seeds seems to lower high cholesterol, according to studies. It is thought it may do this by reducing the absorption of cholesterol and fat from food.
- CONSTIPATION – Psyllium seeds are great for relieving constipation due to their magnificent fibre content. The psyllium husk powder expands in the stomach (or when added to fluids) and this helps drag impurities from your system, as well as help you go to the toilet.
- WOUND HEALING – Plantain leaves contain something called ‘long-chain primary alcohols’, along well as allantoin, both of which are very helpful in minor wound healing. Use the cut leaf directly on skin.
- ULCERS – The anti inflammatory properties of plantain leaves may also be beneficial for people with ulcers when eaten directly.
How To Use Plantain
Plantain is VERY versatile and can be eaten in a variety of ways, both sweet and savoury.
You can eat plantains at any stage of their ripeness and they will be cooked and used in different ways depending on what stage of ripeness they are in.
For instance, green plantains will be less sweet and are ideal as a savoury dish. They are firm and starchy, making them ideal for boiling and frying with savoury spicing.
You can go traditional by frying in coconut oil a little salt (such as in this fried and caramelised plantain recipe) and eat as a side dish (or a meal in itself even). Or you can bake or grill oil free with spices of choice.
Riper plantains are perfect as a sweet dish and can be fried, grilled, or baked with coconut sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and other pumpkin-style spices for a warm dessert dessert. You could serve them with ice-cream (or our homemade nice-cream), oat cream, or even a delicious chocolate sauce.
How To Make Plantains WFPB
It’s very easy to make your plantains without oils, especially if you would like to make a sweet version.
For this you would use a very ripe plantain. Instead of frying with oil, you can fry in a non-stick pan with a little maple syrup and cinnamon (or other spices of choice). You will need to use a very low heat so that your plantains do not burn up.
Alternatively, you can bake, or even air-fry. With these methods you would need to use parchment paper if not using oils to prevent sticking.
How To Make Delicious, Fried & Caramelised Plantain
Equipment
- Large frying pan
- Chopping board
- Chopping knife
Ingredients
- 1 very large medium-ripe plantain Using very ripe plantains will result in a much sweeter dish that is more of a banana flavour. Using green plantains will take longer to cook and need to be cut thinner. They will also be unsweet and more savoury.
- 2 tsp coconut oil For whole foods plant based version, omit the oil but you may need a longer and lower cooking time to ensure they do not burn.
- Pinch Himalayan or sea salt Alternatively, you can use a little coconut/brown sugar, maple or agave syrup for a sweet version great for dessert. This is only best if you are using ripe plantains.
Instructions
- Get a large frying pan on to heat with your coconut oil. Use only a medium-low heat as plantains burn up quickly and you want them to be cooked through without burning.
- Peel your plantain like a banana and place on a chopping board.
- Slice into around 10-12 pieces at an angle. Do this by having the curve of the banana facing upwards and slice from the right hand side at a 10am angle. This gives your plantain more surface area for a better frying.
- Drop your sliced plantains gently into your hot pan and fry for around 5-6 minutes until dark golden on the first side. Sprinkle with a little salt (or sweetner). Remember that the pan should not be on too high a heat as the sugars in plantains seem to catch really quick. You're looking for a lovely caramelised golden colour as burnt will not taste so good.
- Once you're satisfied with the colour of your plantain, gently turn and do the same on the other side. You may wish to squish them down slightly with a fish slice to allow better cooking.
- Serve hot as a side with a main meal. Or eat the whole portion as a light meal in itself. It's filling and low GI, so will fill you up for hours for relatively few calories!
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We hope you’ve liked trying plantains. They really are a little gem of a find that are totally underrated. Once you start making these, you can’t stop. They’re inexpensive and make a very cheap and easy meal or snack.
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