The Vibrant Caribbean Pot Cookbook
Soup Season Cookbook
Get My Latest Cookbooks
On Sale Now

One Kitchen, Many Cultures

Desserts Gluten Free Vegetarian

Grilled Ripe Plantain.

Over the years I’ve shown you how to make Plantain Frittata, Panko Crusted Fried Plantain, Orange Brown Sugar Glazed Plantain and Refried Boiled Plantain, to name a few. The hot days of summer means we’re grilling more, so I felt it was time to share this delicious grilled plantain recipe with you.

3 large ripe plantains (firm)
3 tablespoon melted butter
cooking/baking spray
1 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt (any flaky finishing salt)

Notes! Please follow along with the video below as much more is discussed about the recipe within. These can be done in your oven or stovetop grill pan, should you not have access to an outdoor grill. Grilling over a wood fire or charcoal will give you a better tasting grilled plantain. If making this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to ensure they meet your specific gluten free dietary requirements.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon to use as a topping for the plantain pieces.

Peel, cut and slice the plantain (explained in the video).

Spray the cleaned grilling surface with the oven spray, then place the plantain pieces flat side down and grill for 3-4 minutes at 375F.

Now flip them over, brush with the melted butter and top with the cinnamon and brown sugar topping. Close the grill and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

Once off the grill, top with the flaky finishing salt of your choice (this is optional if you’re on a low sodium diet). The brown sugar will caramelize and with the cinnamon, combined for a lovely flavor which compliments the natural flavors and sweetness of the ripe plantain.

Yea we say planTIN in the Caribbean. Now you know!

Tip! Use a spatula to flip the pieces of grilled plantain, as they will fall apart if you applied pressure from tongs.

Desserts Vegetarian

Panko Crusted Fried Plantains.

panko plantains recipe (9)

With a variety of banana and plantain trees in our kitchen garden at the back of our home, we grew up with a natural affection for boiled and/or fried plantains. Sunday lunch was all about the sides of boiled plantains to give the entire meal a sort of rounded appeal, with the natural sweetness of the plantain. It’s funny how I still crave plantains from time to time (would explain why I’m always experimenting with different recipes), but I’ve not had a ripe banana in about 20 years. I ate so much as a kid, I can’t stand the stuff now. PLUS.. the bananas we get in North America are simply not appealing to me (no real flavor or sweetness).

You’ll Need…

2 ripe plantains
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1-2 cups veg oil
1/2 cup orange juice

Note: When buying or using ripe plantains you want them to go black and discolored (unlike bananas) – that’s when they are the sweetest.

Peel and slice the plantains into coins, place in a bowl and marinate with the orange juice for an hour or 2.

panko plantains recipe (1)

panko plantains recipe (2)

Then it’s just a matter of rolling each slice in the Panko bread crumbs and set aside to fry  (you may have to press on the plantain pieces for the Panko crumbs to stick on). I like breading them all before frying as they can cook pretty fast and it’s more convenient.

panko plantains recipe (3)

panko plantains recipe (4)

Heat the vegetable oil on a medium flame then gently add the panko breaded plantain slices to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side (until golden brown) and set on paper towels to soak up any extra oil. Serve/enjoy warm!

panko plantains recipe (5)

panko plantains recipe (6)

panko plantains recipe (7)

panko plantains recipe (8)

Not your typical “Caribbean” way of preparing ripe plantains, but I assure you that you’ll love the slight crunchy exterior followed by the warm and sweet goodness inside. Do you have a unique way of preparing ripe plantains? Do share in the comment section below (keep the recipe private but share some details).

 

Desserts Gluten Free

Orange Brown Sugar Glazed Plantain Recipe.

orange glazed plantains (10)

I’ve been fortunate to travel up and down the Caribbean island chain over the years and one of the things I find astonishing, are the many uses we have for plantains. Growing up in Trinidad and Tobago, Sunday lunch (most important family meal) always consisted of boiled ripe plantains to go along with the stewed meats, Callaloo, Macaroni Pie, Stewed Beans, Sweet Potato and other tasty treats mom would prepare. Very simple, but what a joy to eat. The English, Spanish, French and Dutch Caribbean all have their unique take on preparing Plantains (green and ripe) and I’m sure this orange brown sugar glazed plantain recipe will surely join in among other classics.

You’ll Need…

2 ripe plantains
pinch salt
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/3 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter

Note: The more black (and ugly looking) the plantains are, the better they are for use. This is an amazing dessert and can also be used as a topping for your favorite ice cream. Fried ripe plantains are great to serve as a side to spicy dishes (like jerk and curry) as the natural sweetness helps to balance the heat elements.

orange glazed plantains (1)

Peel and slice the plantains into 1/4 inch pieces. I did oval shape, but if you wish you can certainly do lone pieces.

orange glazed plantains (2)

Place the slices of plantain in a container and add all the ingredients, except the butter. Stir and allow it to marinate for about 15-20 minutes at room temperature.

orange glazed plantains (3)

orange glazed plantains (4)

orange glazed plantains (5)

orange glazed plantains (6)

Heat the butter on a medium/low flame in a wide pan and add the pieces of marinated plantains. Keep the marinade. Fry on both sides until you have a golden color and slightly crisp edges.

orange glazed plantains (7)

orange glazed plantains (8)

After you have the desired golden color, go in with the leftover marinade and bring to a boil. The plantains are fully cooked, so all you have to do is allow the glaze or sauce to thicken up to a consistency you like.

orange glazed plantains (9)

orange glazed plantains (11)

Note: If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Do give this plantain recipe a try as it’s fun to do and quite tasty.. your sweet-tooth will thank you.

Desserts

Cinnamon And Brown Sugar Plantains.

 

I have a weakness for plantain, which means I can’t walk by the display at the grocery store and not put some in the shopping cart. A lot of times they go bad on the counter and I know this… but I just can’t help myself.  Yet again I had some on the counter in the kitchen calling out to me (or was that Caron saying “are you going to use these or let them go bad again?”) so rather than fry them as I would normally, I decided to be a bit creative.

With the addition of the spices and sugar this could easily be considered a dessert, or used as a topping for some good coconut ice cream, but I much prefer it as a side to my rice dishes and the leftover I made sandwiches with. Toasted bread with a thin layer of butter and a few slices of this wonderful cinnamon plantain slices.

You’ll Need…

3 medium ripe plantains
2 tablespoon golden brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch grated nutmeg
pinch salt
2 tablespoon olive oil (for brushing)

Recipe Edit Notes. In the video I posted below I failed to mention a few things. The plantains I used would have been better if they were a bit riper and I think it would be much tastier if you gave them a good brushing of melted butter. The butter would allow the brown sugar to caramelize and form a lovely coating on the finished slices of plantain.

 

Start by trimming off the ends of the ripe plantains and discard. Then cut in half length-wise and peel off the skin (see the video below to see how I did it).  You will now have two pieces of peeled plantain… slice off (lengthwise) a piece about 1/4 inch. Now use this sliced surface to sit on your cutting board to make slicing the rest of the plantain easier. Slice 1/4 inch pieces and set aside.

Mix together the cinnamon, pinch of nutmeg, salt and brown sugar until it’s completely blended.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (makes clean-up easier) and brush it with oil to coat the surface. Now place the slices of ripe plantain on top, brush with the olive oil and sprinkle (generously) the spice mixture we just made, evenly on each piece of plantain. (See my note above about using butter)

Place in the middle rack of a preheated 400 F oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. After 30 minutes check to see how it’s doing.. if you find that it’s golden and a nice caramel coat has formed, you may want to remove it from the oven early. I say this because I know that no 2 oven are the same when it comes to controlled temperatures.

The lovely scent of cinnamon and nutmeg should be present in your kitchen and you’ll be tempted to eat a slice or two as soon as it comes out of the oven… be careful as it will be very hot.

Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below.. even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.

Desserts Vegetarian

The simplicity and splendor of fry plantains.

how to fry plantainDad it’s getting black! Yup that’s what I heard the last 2 times I purchased plantains with the intention of sharing the simple recipe for fry plantains. I grew up eating fry plantains as a side to many dishes, but my absolute favourite was making sandwiches with these as the filler. I still recall my mom waiting just until the plantains would be so ripe they’d be very close to going black before she cook them. We were told that the more ripe (or quale) they went, the more sweet they would be. So this is exactly what I was trying to achieve, except with my rather busy schedule I tend to forget about them. Not until one of our girls point them out or when those pesky fruit flies appears, do I remember what I was trying to achieve.

For best results allow your ripe plantains to go a bit dark (it will look discoloured) before frying. In the pic below you’ll notice that the plantains I used were ripe, but were only just starting to go “quale” or discoloured.

You’ll Need..

1-2 ripe plantains
1-2 cups of vegetable oil for frying.
salt – optional
brown sugar – optional

trinidad fry plantain

Start by peeling the plantains. Do so by cutting off the ends and then cutting the plantain itself in the middle (as in the picture below).Discard the ends and get ready to peel off the skin and slice for frying.

fry plantain

Then using a small knife, cut through the skin along the length of the 2 pieces. Don’t go too deep as you only want to cut through the skin. Then peel back the skin and discard. Now cut thin strips (about 1/2 cm or little less than 1/4 inch) along the length of the piece of plantain.

how to peel plantain

sliced plantain for frying

The final step is to fry the pieces of sliced plantain. Heat the oil in a frying pan and gently place the pieces away from you to avoid hot oil splashing onto you. Allow to cook for about 5-7 minutes on each side (medium heat) or until it gets to the colour you like (use a fork to flip them over). The darker you allow it to go, it seems to also enhance the natural sugars in it. You’ll also notice that it floats when cooked through.

This is not a dish for the health conscious, since even though you pat dry on paper towels, the plantain tends to soak up a lot of the oil.

trini fry plantain

trinidad fry plantain recipe

I usually sprinkle a little salt over mine and I know people who does the same with brown sugar… but you can enjoy these just the way they are when they cool a bit.

If you’ve ever purchased a rice dish at a Caribbean restaurant in North America you should have come across fried plantains served on the side. The Jamaican spot where I go for my jerk chicken with rice and peas, knows to give me a good potion of fry plantains with my takeout order.

Remember to leave me your comments below.

Happy Cooking.