I'm from the southern most state in India, called Kerala and the one fruit it is famous for, is plantains! I always disliked bananas growing up, but plantains i liked. I think it was mainly because of my grandfather, who would slice a plantain after every meal and share it with his grandkids - all 18 of them. And there was always a fight at the end, but not for the plantain slices, but the skin! He sliced the plantain with the skin, but not all the way through. Once the plantain slices were taken out, the skin looked like a giant caterpillar!
One of the other pleasures I remember from vacations in Kerala, is Pazham Puri or Batter Fried Plantains! It is crispy on the outside and dark orange and mushy inside. really tasty. I had been craving these for a while, but haven't made them for 2 reasons, it is not easy to find ripe plantains in the US and i hate frying. But I found a way around both these problems!
All you need are ripe plantains and some brown sugar. For the ripe plantains, i bought the raw ones from the store, left it in a transparent plastic bag on the window sill. In about a week to ten days it had ripened. And instead of frying, I decided to crunch it up using caramel instead.
Caramalized Plantains
Ingredients:
2 - Ripe Plantains
1/2 cup - Brown sugar
Cooking Spray (Butter Flavored)
Method:
Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil, shiny side up. Spray it with some butter flavored cooking spray. If you don't have butter flavored, regular will do. Peel and slice the plantains diagonally into half centimeter thick slices. Place them uniformly in the greased baking sheet. Spread 1/8 tsp of brown sugar on each slice ad broil on high for 5-7 mins. Once it crosses 4 minutes, you should see the sugar melt and caramelize, so watch the plantains carefully. they can go from golden delicious to charred in just a minute. Once done, take it out and let cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!
It is best eaten within an hour of making. If you refrigerate it, the caramel will dissolve, but they'll still taste heavenly. I even creamed them with some evaporated milk and whipped cream and made an ice cream out of it. But I prefer it in its caramelized form.
The caramelized plantains are fat free (except for the little bit of cooking spray), but they do pack a lot of carbs, especially from the plantain itself, so enjoy them in moderation.
One of the other pleasures I remember from vacations in Kerala, is Pazham Puri or Batter Fried Plantains! It is crispy on the outside and dark orange and mushy inside. really tasty. I had been craving these for a while, but haven't made them for 2 reasons, it is not easy to find ripe plantains in the US and i hate frying. But I found a way around both these problems!
Caramalized Plantains
Ingredients:
2 - Ripe Plantains
1/2 cup - Brown sugar
Cooking Spray (Butter Flavored)
Method:
Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil, shiny side up. Spray it with some butter flavored cooking spray. If you don't have butter flavored, regular will do. Peel and slice the plantains diagonally into half centimeter thick slices. Place them uniformly in the greased baking sheet. Spread 1/8 tsp of brown sugar on each slice ad broil on high for 5-7 mins. Once it crosses 4 minutes, you should see the sugar melt and caramelize, so watch the plantains carefully. they can go from golden delicious to charred in just a minute. Once done, take it out and let cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!
It is best eaten within an hour of making. If you refrigerate it, the caramel will dissolve, but they'll still taste heavenly. I even creamed them with some evaporated milk and whipped cream and made an ice cream out of it. But I prefer it in its caramelized form.
The caramelized plantains are fat free (except for the little bit of cooking spray), but they do pack a lot of carbs, especially from the plantain itself, so enjoy them in moderation.
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