I have seen plantains mentioned on so many Paleo websites and I have been wanting to try out a recipe using them for so long. I saw a crate of plantains at my local vegetable store on the weekend, and I just had to buy a couple. Now I regret that I didn't buy more! These pancakes turned out so beautifully and were delicious with a slightly sweet taste and a light and slightly crispy texture.
Plantains look very similar to bananas, but they are actually quite different. For one thing, you cannot eat them raw. They need to be cooked. They are very popular in central African countries. They are used a lot in baking Paleo goods, whilst keeping a beautifully light texture and they don't have an overpowering flavour. Like bananas, they are rich in Potassium. Plantains are starchier, but contain less sugar than their banana cousins. They are very versatile as a cooking ingredient. I have turned them into a pancake in this recipe, but you can make bread, bread rolls, pizza bases, fritters and other things out of them. Many recipes call for green plantains, when they have a much milder taste, but they do tend to get a bit sweeter as they get riper. I left mine in the pantry for a few days and they ripened pretty quickly.
The photograph below shows two plantains on the left and a bunch of bananas on the right. Very easy to mistake the one for the other!
When you peel them, you will notice that they are not as easy to peel as a banana. I cut off the ends of each plantain, and then sliced through the skin the whole way down the plantain (lengthways). The skin then peeled off nicely.
I made my pancake batter in my Nutribullet, but you can just as easily make this in a food processor. It makes quite a sticky mixture.
For this recipe, you need the following (makes two large pancakes):
Two plantains (they can be greenish or have turned slightly yellow)
2 tablespoons of water
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
1 tablespoon of badger-friendly honey
1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
2ml baking soda
a pinch of salt
Extra coconut oil for frying
Peel the plantains and cut them into chunks. Pop them into your food processor or blender.
Add the remaining ingredients and blend together until a batter is formed. If it looks too thick, add a little more water.
Heat a tablespoon of coconut oil in a large frying pan and let it get hot. Then spoon the batter into the middle of the pan and quickly spread it around to make the pancake the size of your choice. I made fairly large ones, so that we could have one each for breakfast. You can also make them smaller and more like fritters. It will just take a bit longer to prepare. For best results, try and make sure that your pancake is spread fairly evenly with no "holes".
Allow the pancake to cook for 3 to 4 minutes on a medium heat, until the base has started to go brown and crispy. Use a nice wide spatula to flip them over and cook the other side until it is also brown and crispy. If you try and turn the pancake when the base has not cooked properly, you run the risk of it breaking.
I served mine with fresh berries and nothing else. Absolutely fantastic! Definitely going to make these again. Next time I will make sure that I buy more than just 2 plantains...
