Everyone loves a little bit of curry in a dish. Plantains are definitely a huge part of most Caribbean meals. All over the region, plantains are either the well seasoned side dish or the fried, greasy snack before the main course. I love them in many ways— mostly savory. Thus, this is the start of several recipes that star yummylicious plantains.
For my delicious meal, I first boiled my unripened plantain so that it was soft and lovely during its short frying time— a ripe plantain, however, is recommended. The tomato rice has the same flavors inside, marrying the components together for a scrumptious, fulfilling meal.
Curried Plantains and Tomato Rice Ingredients and Preparation
1 cup brown rice
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/4 chopped white onion
2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 plantain, cut into three pieces
2 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Prepare rice to package directions. Drain. Mix in tomato sauce, onion, curry powder, cumin, fenugreek, salt, and black pepper.
In a skillet, let the coconut oil warm up. Combine thick plantain slices with garlic, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and crushed red pepper and toss them into the skillet. Sear each side for a few minutes.
Serve atop of rice with extra crushed red pepper.
Oooh this looks delicious. I love plantains but have never cooked them myself. I think it may be time to give it a try!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sarah! I love plantains too! I'll be sharing more recipes soon. They're very easy to cook, especially when ripe.
DeleteMaybe this is a silly question, but how can you tell if a plantain is ripe? I've rarely tried to cook with them and the results weren't that great, but I do like what I've had that other people cooked, and I just realized that may be where I've gone wrong.
ReplyDeleteUsually it changes like a banana— from green to light. Sometimes you have to feel the plantain. If it’s too firm, it’s not yet ripe. It has to be between firm and soft. Don’t worry, you’ll be a plantain pro in no time!
DeleteI only recently plucked up the courage to try plantain for the first time, I can't get over how much it looks like banana! It was actually really nice, of course. Not sure if I'm brave enough to make it the star of the dish yet, but you've almost got me convinced!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I think how ripe it is and how you prepare it are very important factors. In some ways, it is quite similar to a banana yet there is an incredible difference. If you like it now, you’ll love it even more later in a starring dish. :D
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