Nested plantain loaf
Recipe by Karen Albright Lin
Hailing from the Ivory Coast where plantains abound, this great savory should be added to your side dish repertoire. The texture may remind you of polenta or black bean cakes, but the flavor’s all new!
Preparation time: 30 minutes Baking time: 1 hour
2 feet of a banana leaf, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon tiny dried shrimp
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh ginger
1/2 small onion, quartered
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
1 Roma tomato, rinsed and quartered
1 tablespoon hot chili powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large, very ripe plantains, peeled and quartered
4 tablespoons water
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon rice flour
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Prep. Time → 30 min
Cook Time → 60 min
1. Pulse dried shrimp in food processor until it is a powder. Add ginger, onion, chicken bouillon, and chili powder and grind to a wet red paste. Transfer to a large bowl.
2. In processor, pulse peeled plantains and water to a thick, smooth paste, add to the red paste in the mixing bowl. Then add 1/4 cup of rice flour, turmeric, salt, and sugar. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
4. To prepare banana leaf, pour boiling water over it to make it pliable.
5. Spray a 5” x 9” loaf pan with oil and line it with the leaf piece, allowing extra on one side to cover the loaf. Spray oil on the inside of the leaf, then dust with remaining 1 tablespoon rice flour.
6. Pour plantain dough into the leaf-lined loaf pan. Smooth dough and lay extra flap of leaf over it. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on rack 5 minutes before slicing. The pumpkin colored slices are pretty served on a leaf of lettuce topped with a teaspoon of cayenne-spiked sour cream.
side dishes, side dishes, plantains, banana leaves, leaves, cooking in leaves, karen albright lin May 09, 2013 18:53
Author Karen Albright Lin
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