Are you craving something different, away from your normal cuisine? Then having some green plantains is a great way to diversify. The great news is that you can prepare them in a variety of ways. This article will show you how you can enjoy this food and give your palate some wonderful treats.
How do you boil plantain?
The boiled plantain is a mainstay in the cuisines of Africa, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. If you want to cook plantains at home without them turning mushy, choose a yellow or green fruit that is robust to the touch and largely spot-free. Trim the ends, split in half lengthwise, and drop into boiling water. The plantains will turn a beautiful yellow color and develop a deliciously sweet flavor if you cook them for 15 to 30 minutes.
In the sections that follow, I will demonstrate how to boil plantains in a variety of ways.
How to cut and peel the plantains
Select a handful of fully ripe plantains. It is preferable to use plantains that are yellow but have some firmness to them, as boiling water can soften the fruit considerably. Plantains of the yellow kind should yield slightly when gently squeezed and should have a few brown stains. The ideal green plantain would be firm, homogeneous in color, and spot-free.
Using plantains that are too ripe will likely cause them to turn out mushy.
Remove the plantains’ ends with a knife. The plantains should be placed on a cutting board, and the stems should be chopped off using a sharp knife, leaving about an inch and a half (2.5 cm) of fruit exposed. You can more easily peel the plantains if you remove these pieces first.
The stems can be removed to increase the amount of heat reaching the plantains and hasten the cooking process.
The plantains should be halved. Prepare a cutting board by laying the plantains flat. Cut them in half lengthwise. This will bring them down to a size where they can be readily contained within a pot.
It’s important to use a sharp knife while chopping plantains because they can be quite rough.
Plantains can be cooked in a fraction of the time if they are peeled first. After halving the plantains lengthwise, make a shallow slit in the skin all the way across. Pull aside the skin on both sides of the incision to reveal the fruit. Avoid crushing the fruit by handling it gently.
If you peel your plantains before boiling, they won’t need as much time in the water.
You may also just score the skins lengthwise and peel them off when they’re done cooking, if that’s easier for you.
How do I heat the water?
Put a lot of water into a big pot. Be sure your pot can accommodate the number of plantains you intend to boil. While a large stockpot is ideal for boiling multiple plantains at once, a deep saucepan should be enough for only one or two.
If the pot is overfilled, the water will spill out when it boils.
Get the water boiling. Start preheating the water by setting the stovetop to high heat. The water in the saucepan should boil in around 6–10 minutes, give or take, depending on its size and volume.
Turning on the water while slicing and peeling the plantains will help you save time if you’re in a rush.
Put some salt in the water. You can season your boiling water with salt if you wish. A pinch of salt will add just the right amount of savory flavor to these plantains to complement their natural starchiness and sweetness.
First-time users of salt should start with a single teaspoon (4.2 g). After the plantains are done cooking, you can add more if necessary to achieve the desired taste.
Don’t oversalt the plantains, or they’ll lose their delicate flavor and become unpalatable.
How do I cook the plantains?
Plantains need to be boiled for 15 to 30 minutes. The heat of the cooking water, which starts to dissolve their concentrated sugars, increases the natural sweetness of plantains. The apple should become a bright yellow and be perfectly soft after 15 to 20 minutes.
The plantains will be ready when they have boiled for the specified amount of time, so start the timer now.
The fruit is not done cooking if there are any white spots remaining on it. Cook the plantains for a further 5–6 minutes, or until they turn a consistent yellow, whichever comes first.
It could take up to 30 minutes for green plantains to cook completely.
Toss the plantains out of the boiling water and set them aside. Take care when retrieving the plantains, as they will be quite hot. You can use a knife to pierce them or, alternately, a metal spoon to scoop them out.
Spread some paper towels on the counter, or just transfer the plantains directly to the serving dish, to soak up some of the extra moisture.
Never put your hands into boiling water to retrieve food that has already been cooked. You risk getting a bad burn if you do it!
The plantains need to cool for about two minutes before being served. The plantains are done cooking when the steam stops rising. When they are warm but not boiling hot, they taste the best.
Your mouth will burn if you try to eat hot plantains before they have cooled down.
If boiling plantains with the skin on, peel them first. Use a knife to carefully remove the skin and expose the fruit inside, rather than risk scorching your fingers. After that, you may throw away the skins and start eating!
Always peel plantains before eating them.
Enjoy the tenderness of mashed, boiling plantains. You may finish off the process by mashing the plantains with the back of a fork if you like. The purée should be nearly lump-free after further crushing and stirring. The fruit’s versatility means this is just one more way to savor it.
What are the healthiest ways to cook plantains?
Steam
Plantains can be prepared in a matter of minutes in a steamer. Cutting off the ends of a plantain exposes the fruit’s flesh for steaming. To prevent the plantains from exploding, cut them in half lengthwise and split the peel. Steam the plantains that have been prepped for eight minutes, or until they have reached the desired degree of tenderness, and then allow them to cool in their peels for around five minutes.
Before steaming the plantains, you should peel them and cut them into slices to enhance the flavor of your dish. After you have seasoned the slices however you like (cinnamon and honey are very tasty options), lay them in a steaming basket that has been lined with parchment paper. Steamed plantain slices are ready in about 5 minutes.
Bake
Instead of frying plantains, you should try baking them. Unlike fried plantains, its crispy, gently browned exterior is achieved without the use of oil. To avoid having sticky plantains, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Prepare the plantains for cooking by peeling and slicing them.
They need to be baked for 15 minutes at 450 degrees Fahrenheit, or until they are golden brown. Give them five minutes to cool in the pan. The plantain slices can be layered to make a casserole-like side dish and baked for up to 25 minutes. Before baking the plantains, season them with whichever spices and herbs you choose.
Boil
Plantains, when boiled, are a convenient addition to any meal. Savory plantain dishes benefit most from being boiled. To get to the plantain meat, you need to wash the fruit and then trim off both ends. The lengths should be halved horizontally.
To facilitate peel removal after boiling, make a tiny cut in the peel of each half. Prepare the plantains by boiling them for a fifteen-minute period until they begin to separate from the meat of the plantain. Leave the plantain peels on until it’s time to serve the boiling plantains.
Grill
The mild smokiness of grilled plantains pairs well with sweet or savory toppings. Wash the plantains’ skins thoroughly.
After they have been rinsed and cut in half lengthwise, season the exposed plantain flesh with the appropriate seasonings. Place the plantains on the grill and cook them for roughly five minutes on each side to ensure their flesh is tender while maintaining a crisp outside. Wait five minutes to serve after cooling.
Apply a light coating of butter or olive oil to the plantains to keep them from sticking. Oil and butter each contribute about 40 calories per teaspoon, so use them sparingly.
How To Cook Hard Green Plantains?
Are you craving something different, away from your normal cuisine? Then having some green plantains is a great way to diversify. The great news is that you can prepare them in a variety of ways. This article will show you how you can enjoy this food and give your palate some wonderful treats.
How do you boil plantain?
The boiled plantain is a mainstay in the cuisines of Africa, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. If you want to cook plantains at home without them turning mushy, choose a yellow or green fruit that is robust to the touch and largely spot-free. Trim the ends, split in half lengthwise, and drop into boiling water. The plantains will turn a beautiful yellow color and develop a deliciously sweet flavor if you cook them for 15 to 30 minutes.
In the sections that follow, I will demonstrate how to boil plantains in a variety of ways.
How to cut and peel the plantains
Select a handful of fully ripe plantains. It is preferable to use plantains that are yellow but have some firmness to them, as boiling water can soften the fruit considerably. Plantains of the yellow kind should yield slightly when gently squeezed and should have a few brown stains. The ideal green plantain would be firm, homogeneous in color, and spot-free.
Using plantains that are too ripe will likely cause them to turn out mushy.
Remove the plantains’ ends with a knife. The plantains should be placed on a cutting board, and the stems should be chopped off using a sharp knife, leaving about an inch and a half (2.5 cm) of fruit exposed. You can more easily peel the plantains if you remove these pieces first.
The stems can be removed to increase the amount of heat reaching the plantains and hasten the cooking process.
The plantains should be halved. Prepare a cutting board by laying the plantains flat. Cut them in half lengthwise. This will bring them down to a size where they can be readily contained within a pot.
It’s important to use a sharp knife while chopping plantains because they can be quite rough.
Plantains can be cooked in a fraction of the time if they are peeled first. After halving the plantains lengthwise, make a shallow slit in the skin all the way across. Pull aside the skin on both sides of the incision to reveal the fruit. Avoid crushing the fruit by handling it gently.
If you peel your plantains before boiling, they won’t need as much time in the water.
You may also just score the skins lengthwise and peel them off when they’re done cooking, if that’s easier for you.
How do I heat the water?
Put a lot of water into a big pot. Be sure your pot can accommodate the number of plantains you intend to boil. While a large stockpot is ideal for boiling multiple plantains at once, a deep saucepan should be enough for only one or two.
If the pot is overfilled, the water will spill out when it boils.
Get the water boiling. Start preheating the water by setting the stovetop to high heat. The water in the saucepan should boil in around 6–10 minutes, give or take, depending on its size and volume.
Turning on the water while slicing and peeling the plantains will help you save time if you’re in a rush.
Put some salt in the water. You can season your boiling water with salt if you wish. A pinch of salt will add just the right amount of savory flavor to these plantains to complement their natural starchiness and sweetness.
First-time users of salt should start with a single teaspoon (4.2 g). After the plantains are done cooking, you can add more if necessary to achieve the desired taste.
Don’t oversalt the plantains, or they’ll lose their delicate flavor and become unpalatable.
How do I cook the plantains?
Plantains need to be boiled for 15 to 30 minutes. The heat of the cooking water, which starts to dissolve their concentrated sugars, increases the natural sweetness of plantains. The apple should become a bright yellow and be perfectly soft after 15 to 20 minutes.
The plantains will be ready when they have boiled for the specified amount of time, so start the timer now.
The fruit is not done cooking if there are any white spots remaining on it. Cook the plantains for a further 5–6 minutes, or until they turn a consistent yellow, whichever comes first.
It could take up to 30 minutes for green plantains to cook completely.
Toss the plantains out of the boiling water and set them aside. Take care when retrieving the plantains, as they will be quite hot. You can use a knife to pierce them or, alternately, a metal spoon to scoop them out.
Spread some paper towels on the counter, or just transfer the plantains directly to the serving dish, to soak up some of the extra moisture.
Never put your hands into boiling water to retrieve food that has already been cooked. You risk getting a bad burn if you do it!
The plantains need to cool for about two minutes before being served. The plantains are done cooking when the steam stops rising. When they are warm but not boiling hot, they taste the best.
Your mouth will burn if you try to eat hot plantains before they have cooled down.
If boiling plantains with the skin on, peel them first. Use a knife to carefully remove the skin and expose the fruit inside, rather than risk scorching your fingers. After that, you may throw away the skins and start eating!
Always peel plantains before eating them.
Enjoy the tenderness of mashed, boiling plantains. You may finish off the process by mashing the plantains with the back of a fork if you like. The purée should be nearly lump-free after further crushing and stirring. The fruit’s versatility means this is just one more way to savor it.
What are the healthiest ways to cook plantains?
Steam
Plantains can be prepared in a matter of minutes in a steamer. Cutting off the ends of a plantain exposes the fruit’s flesh for steaming. To prevent the plantains from exploding, cut them in half lengthwise and split the peel. Steam the plantains that have been prepped for eight minutes, or until they have reached the desired degree of tenderness, and then allow them to cool in their peels for around five minutes.
Before steaming the plantains, you should peel them and cut them into slices to enhance the flavor of your dish. After you have seasoned the slices however you like (cinnamon and honey are very tasty options), lay them in a steaming basket that has been lined with parchment paper. Steamed plantain slices are ready in about 5 minutes.
Bake
Instead of frying plantains, you should try baking them. Unlike fried plantains, its crispy, gently browned exterior is achieved without the use of oil. To avoid having sticky plantains, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Prepare the plantains for cooking by peeling and slicing them.
They need to be baked for 15 minutes at 450 degrees Fahrenheit, or until they are golden brown. Give them five minutes to cool in the pan. The plantain slices can be layered to make a casserole-like side dish and baked for up to 25 minutes. Before baking the plantains, season them with whichever spices and herbs you choose.
Boil
Plantains, when boiled, are a convenient addition to any meal. Savory plantain dishes benefit most from being boiled. To get to the plantain meat, you need to wash the fruit and then trim off both ends. The lengths should be halved horizontally.
To facilitate peel removal after boiling, make a tiny cut in the peel of each half. Prepare the plantains by boiling them for a fifteen-minute period until they begin to separate from the meat of the plantain. Leave the plantain peels on until it’s time to serve the boiling plantains.
Grill
The mild smokiness of grilled plantains pairs well with sweet or savory toppings. Wash the plantains’ skins thoroughly.
After they have been rinsed and cut in half lengthwise, season the exposed plantain flesh with the appropriate seasonings. Place the plantains on the grill and cook them for roughly five minutes on each side to ensure their flesh is tender while maintaining a crisp outside. Wait five minutes to serve after cooling.
Apply a light coating of butter or olive oil to the plantains to keep them from sticking. Oil and butter each contribute about 40 calories per teaspoon, so use them sparingly.
