Bananas and Plantains/Cooking Bananas

Hemulen

Hemulen

Woof-woof
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I noticed plantains (Musa paradisiaca) in the local supermarket today (my pic above). I've used them only once or twice in an improvised Caribbean style soup after traveling in the area.

I love unripe and greenish, firm and flavorless bananas. I don't know what that preference is based on. At our place ripe and dotty; soft and sweet bananas are used in fruities/smoothies, baking or cooking. One of my all time favorite dishes is Chinese style deep fryed/frittered bananas with ice cream and sauce (berry, fruit or toffee/taffy).

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Photo source

I love banana with ice cream and whipped cream so Banana Split is one of my (childish) dessert favorites. What about you? Please share your experiences, recipes and/or likings regarding bananas (Musa sapientum) and plantains.
 
I'm not banana crazy - but I do eat them sometimes. They are high in potassium and I am low on potassium.The problem I have with bananas in recipes is that they seem to dominate the taste of the dish. There is a quick low calorie no churn banana ice-cream recipe (easily found on the internet) which is quite good.

Plantains are a bit different or at least the ones I've had are. They are more like yams and rather starchy. I might have a recipe on the forum. I'll have a look.
 
I've only ever fried them to go with Jamaican curry. Delicious.

I keep meaning to make banana skin curry. I need to experiment more.

Banana I use for icecream (just slice and freeze then blitz with a bit of (almond) milk. Eat immediately). Or chocolate brownies. Or banana pancakes. I love bananas in things but not so much on their own.
 
Tostones, or double-fried plantains, are big in the Caribbean. I make them with Cuban and Puerto Rican dishes.

They are easy to make. Cut the plantains into 1 inch pieces. Par fry them until soft. Remove them to a tray or plate, and use something to smash them, (I use a big can of something, like tomatoes). Fry them a second time until golden brown and have a crispy crust.

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CD
 
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I've never had plantains but eat bananas. I will have them fresh with cereal or make banana bread. I also like dried bananas and banana popsicles. I take a potassium supplement because I dangerously low and I couldn't eat as many bananas as I would need to keep it in the normal range.

I am open to trying new recipes though. Some of the ones listed here sound promising.
 
Burt Blank said:
When I was out of surgery for my heart attack, my heart stopped twice when I was asleep. They gave me that supplement in water. It's foul.
Click to expand...

I'm glad you recovered from your heart attack.

The one I take doesn't have much of a taste. It is a GIANT pill though. I have to break it in half just to get it down.
 
As a Dutch indonesian, my favorite banana preparation is definitely Pisang goreng - Wikipedia . It's a delicious end to any Asian meal, or just as a snack on it's own. It's one of my favorite foods.

I also like Baka Bana, the Surinamese version of Pisang goreng which is served with spicy peanut sauce. A hefty dish, but delicious at times. Both of these foods are made with plantains not regular banana's.

I also love the fried banana beignets served in Japanese and Chinese restaurants here, though I realise those are not authentic dishes for their cuisine.
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