Plantain Toasties & Scrambled Eggs #NewNigerianCuisine

So I was feeling like having some toast and after making a couple slices, I mean toasted bread, my eyes caught some plantains which I had in my larder, then the idea to toast plantains came to me.....so I did.

Traditionally, plantains are fried, boiled, roasted or cooked with other ingredients. So I am exploring another method to enjoy this healthy, slow release energy source. After all the #NewNigerianCuisine movement is all about experimenting with ingredients and cooking utensils....abi..? So how did it turn out?

Verdict & Observations

Toasting plantain in a toaster is another way of cook it and quite similar to roasting or baking. The resulting dish had a taste which can only be described as something between the taste of fried plantain (dodo) and roasted plantain (booli).

It is a simple and super fast way to cook plantains and it hassle free, All you need do is slice the plantain as thinly as possible then place in the toaster until well cooked. The thickness of the sliced plantain and the temperature/time setting of the taster have a large role to play in ensuring the plantains cook through.

Toasting plantains will instantly extend your breakfast options. Serving them with scrambled eggs for breakfast or as a light meal,  makes a really delicious meal and also quite balanced in terms of health. The eggs will supply you with protein while the plantains will supply slow release energy. So rather than fry plantains you can toast them.

Plantain Toasties

What you need

• Just ripe plantains. (do not use overripe ones)
• Some salt
• Some butter

What to do

1. Peel the plantains and slice them thinly about the thickness of sliced bread. The thinner the slices, the quicker they will cook. 
2. Rub the plantains with some salt and a little butter. This is optional
3. Then place the slices into a toaster and toast until the plantains cook through. This may require you pushing down the spring of the toaster a couple of times. The time you take to achieve this is dependent on the thickness of the slices, as I said, and of course your preference of how toasted you would like them.
4. Serve with scrambled eggs.

Beans & Dodo

Quite simply one of the most popular food pairing/combo in the entire Nigerian cuisine pantry. Beans and plantain offer a really nutritionally balanced and great tasting dish. 

I love the simplicity and frugality of this combo and whether you like your beans all well mashed up, cooked plain with added pepper sauce or stewed in a thin sauce, it always catches my attention.

Here I share one of my earliest well presented beans and dodo dish, encouraging you to try some out this weekend....

See a full recipes of my popular beans and dodo dishes

Layered Beans Yam and Plantain

Beans. Plantains, Meatballs Hotpot

Quick Starter - Prawns & Dodo

Truth be told, I do sometimes resent having to labour over the stove for guests, especially those ones that did not give you enough notice that they are come...and as always, they want to be treated to your usual signature dishes...!

So I keep coming up with loads of different food ideas which can rescue me from this sorts of sticky situations.

The recipe I am sharing today is one of them. Very simple and straight forward dish with little effort, and requires no elaborate ingredients.

I have now grown to love my fish mongers at the Ozumba Mbadiwe Victoria Island (under the bridge) fish market in Lagos. The size of the prawns I get from there is huge, I mean, really huge. Still, they come in different sizes, and I kid you not, when cooked and curled up, some of the prawns can be as big as the circle you make with your index finger and your thumb...!

So this my quick starter, prawns and dodo dish, when served with some wine, cocktails, mock-tails or just a delicious blend of fruit juices, is really satisfying. Serving with some fruit salad or a nice crisp salad, you will be absolutely fully satisfied,,,,no you wont need anything else but to put the movies on, of just commence our "gisting" spree...!

It tastes delicious every time, not requiring too much condiments to bring out the tastes. It just needs careful preparation to ensure the prawns and plantain have the right texture, and careful plating to create that wow factor for your guests. Excellent served as a starter, canapes, finger foods or even as a light meal.

What you need

• Ripe plantains
• Large fresh prawns (the larger the better really)
• Chopped chives for garnish
• Pre-cooked spicy ata dindin (dip) - get my premium ata din din recipe here

What to do

1. Cut the plantains into shards and deep fry until cooked through. Set aside.
2. In order to keep the texture of prawns plump and juicy, I have a trick that I use. I shell them de-vein them and allow them to soak in some water with added baking soda, for about 30 minutes prior to cooking.
3. The prawns are pan fried in a shallow pan for about two minutes on each side. 
4. Then dip the pan fried prawns into the pre-cooked ata dindin for another 5 minutes or so, or until it is served. Then on a mini platter, serve the prawns and dodo attaching them to each other with a toothpick. 
5. Serve with some additional ata dindin (dip)

Plantain Shards with Red Spinach Efo Riro

I love exploring new things, new food ingredients, new techniques, and such and such.....that is just the way I am....!

I eat plantains regularly, not only because they represent one of the most staple sources of carbohydrates in Nigerian cooking, but also because they are versatile to use in different dishes, are extremely delicious and most importantly, they are a healthy source of slow release energy.

I have so many plantain recipes (check them out here), and I continue to explore new ones to suit my taste, preference, mood etcetera.

So in this recipe, quite simply, I cut plantains in the form of shards and deep fry them. I always fry my plantains with my oil of choice, coconut oil. I imagine you can cook the plantain shards by roasting, baking or boiling..... You are sure to achieve an equally fantastic dish.

Plantains as I said earlier, are very versatile to serve with a range of different soups/stews or other dishes like pottages and hotpots.

Well, after having discovered the wonders of Red Spinach, I made some Efo Riro out of them, and I tell you, they tasted equally delicious, you wont know the difference except for the intense deep red colour, and trust me you will be benefiting immensely from the overload of nutrients that this vegetable packs.

Anyway, I served my deep fried plantain shards with red spinach efo riro, and it was exotic and delicious.

Try it out..

What to do

• For the shards, you need just ripe plantains that are still firm to the touch, So i peeled them whole and then cut them into 3 equal parts (or perhaps two depending on the size of the plantain.
• To make the shards, I cut through diagonally, each of the previously cut 2/3 chunks then I deep fried in coconut oil. Ensure the oil is not too hot so that the plantain can cook deep within its core.
• Remove fried plantains and lay out on some kitchen towel to remove excess oil.

Plating

• Arrange carefully on a plate in a circular shape, and serve some red spinach efo riro in the center. Garnish with some tender shoots from the red spinach bunch.
• Enjoy

Simply Boiled Plantains

Plantains are just so versatile, and contrary to what you might have heard about them, they are a healthy source of slow release energy....!

There are several ways of preparing and serving them.....baking, frying, roasting, mashing, pounding, making into snacks etc. What you make them into or how you process them is determined by their stage of ripeness. Read more about plantains here.

I love plantains and have several recipes on then (Check here for more recipes on plantains )

I want you to get inspired by this simple plantain dish. No fuss, ready in a few minutes, especially if you already have some rich and smooth red pepper sauce/stew.

The highlight of this dish goes to the sleek arrangement of the evenly sliced boiled plantain.......hmmm Simply gorgeous....

Make some as served with what ever you fancy. Mine is served with some stewed turkey....

What you need
To make the boiled plantains:
You need ripe plantains
Salt.

What to do
Place enough water into a deep base pot and add a pinch of salt. Then place your un-skinned plantains in and allow to boil for about 10 minutes. When boiled/soft, remove the plantain from the pot and carefully remove the skin. Then using a sharp knife, slice across its with, into thin even slices. Serve with any any side of choice, preferably vegetable stews......

Nigerian Minced Beef & Mashed Plantain Bake

So, am really excited about this recipe....the tastes and flavours and textures I experienced from this dish, I cannot describe, you just have to find out for yourself....!

First I have to say that the minced beef we get in the UK and the one I made myself (here in Lagos) with the local beef in Nigeria, are like chalk and cheese....miles apart in taste and texture and juiciness...omg!

Already, Nigerians are known to favor beef with a firm texture, which is able to retain and soak up lots of flavours... This is because Nigerian cows are largely organic, fed on natural grass and vegetation, and put through a lot of "exercise" because they are reared by the a Nomadic Nigerian tribe known as the Fulanis. Everywhere they go, they take their cows and allow them to graze on natural vegetation as they move from one place to the other....actually they move in search of vegetation...!

Anyway, I am totally in love with this beef, and when I decided to make some home-made mince out of them, I was so pleasantly surprised by the outcome....its so different (pleasantly I have to add), from what I was used to eating in the UK.

So I was looking for new ways to do a plantain dish, especially ripe plantains which are so much available and tend to deteriorate quickly...I was in search of other exciting ways other than just frying or baking as usual... My first attempt of making this mince and plantain combo was a hit... As I said, you have to try it to fully appreciate this dish.

What you need
Ripe plantains
Lean beef (remove all traces of fat and tendons and wash beef. Then cut into chunks. Using a food processor or meat grinder, mince the beef and set aside.)
Onions
Red peppers
Green peppers
Stock powder
Salt to taste
Unsalted butter
Cconut oil
Peeled plum tomatoes or tomato paste

What to do
Cut the plantains in half, unpeeled and boil in salty water until soft. Then peel the plantains add a knob of butter and mash in a bowl using a fork. You may wish to remove the black row of seeds from the plantain before mashing (this is optional). Mash into a smooth consistency, set aside

In a sauce pan, heat some oil and add chopped onions, red and green peppers and stir. Allow to brown slightly, then add the minced beef. Stir all ingredients together to combine. Then add chopped peeled plum tomatoes. Now is the time to add some stock powder and/or salt to taste. Adjust according to your preference. Allow the beef to cook through (the pink colour turns brown to indicate the beef is ready.)

Now place the mashed plantain and the cooked minced beef into an oven dish in alternating layers. Allow to bake for about 15-20 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 C. When the top layer begins to brown/crisp, then it is ready.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest (cool) for a further 10 minutes before serving.

Note:The dish tastes even better when allowed to rest in the fridge overnight...!

Baked Over-ripe Plantain

Plantains are so versatile, they can be used in whatever stage of ripeness they are...! I love that about them, and the interesting thing again is that they have a distinctive different taste at these different stages.

Another interesting thing is that, their taste is further developed or enhanced by the method used to cook them and also the other ingredients paired with them...and I do have a craving for some of these distinct tastes from time to time, depending on my mood.

Today's recipe works best with over ripe plantains....and because plantains do tend to ripen quickly, I do not tend to panic if I have an over ripe one in my larder. I just deep fry it first for a few minutes then transfer it into an oven to bake until it attains this "dryish" but not burnt texture, which is excellent to serve with some spicy salsa style sauce. And because the plantain is at its ripe state, it tastes really sweet, which also combines well with the saltiness and spiciness of the dip. Try it

What you need
Over ripe plantains
Coconut oil
Salt and black pepper
Some ginger powder

What to do
Peel the plantains and cut into large chunks. Sprinkle some salt, ginger and black pepper. Deep fry, for just about 2-3 minutes in hot coconut oil preferably, (because its healthier to fry food using it and also because it imparts some flavour).

Remove the deep fried plantains and arrange on a baking tray. Smash the individual plantain chunks with a mallet or rolling pin, to flatten them a little.

Allow to bake for about 10-15 minutes in a hot oven, turning occasionally to avoid burning. Remove from oven and serve with any dip of your choice.