Green Bananas

I was in the grocery store today and there was a woman who was a Pacific Islander who was buying 8 brunches of bananas.  Her cart was full of green bananas so always being curious; I had to ask her how she fixed them.  In very poor English she was kind enough to share her recipe and I’m going to give it a try.  She mixes bananas, coconut milk and corn and sugar for a sweet dish that sounds like a pudding to me.  She puts green (raw) bananas in a sealed baggie and boils it in water until it turns “red” in her words.  She then add coconut milk, sugar and corn.  I did a search on the internet to see if I could find a similar recipe and found several recipes, but they are not hers.   I’m sharing with you should you be brave or curious like me and wish to try something new.  I have cooked plantains and green bananas before, but fried them after I boiled them. You boil the green bananas in their skins.  The Puerto Rican plantains and her recipe are both from islands but from islands far apart.

Matoke Green Bananas (Polynesian)

12 green bananas

2 cups light coconut milk

1 cup heavy coconut milk

Pinch of turmeric

Chopped coriander (Cilantro)

2 green chilies

1 tsp. red chili powder

Juice of 1 lemon

¼ tsp. garlic paste

2 cups fresh or frozen corn

Peel and chop the bananas, then put them in a pan and add some water...just enough to cover the bananas (Matoke). Add some salt, ½ tsp. chili powder, cilantro, chopped chili, ½ tsp. turmeric. Cover and boil until soft and easy to mash. Then mash to an almost paste.

Add the fresh or frozen corn to the mashed matoke. Put in the light coconut milk and mix well. Let it start simmering until it thickens then add the heavy coconut milk, lemon juice and the rest of the ingredients, garlic, etc. Simmer for a few more minutes until the consistency is to your liking. Mix well and taste. Adjust as per your preference then switch off.

This picture has lamb in it, but her recipe was just corn and bananas.

Plantain Corn Rice

1 Large plantain or green banana

1 Onion

1/4 cup frozen corn kernels

2 Green chilies

1 1/2 cup cooked Basmati rice

2 Tbsp oil

1/2 inch cinnamon

A pinch of turmeric powder

1 Tsp. ginger

1 tsp. garlic powder

Salt to taste

Steam the raw banana and peel the skin.

Now grate the raw banana and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add the cinnamon.

Add the chopped onions.

Fry them for a minute and add the ginger and garlic.

Fry till the raw smell goes off and then add the green chilies.

Mix well and add the grated raw banana.

Add the corn, salt and turmeric powder.

Simmer the flame and cook for couple of minutes.

Now add the cooked rice and mix well.

Simmer for another couple of minutes.

Remove from the flame and serve hot.

Hope you are up for something new.  Be happy and may God bless you and yours.