sharing raw, vegan recipes and advice
A week or so ago I went to my local green grocer and saw some beautil plantains. I had no idea if they are edible raw or not so did not dare to buy them but went home instead to do some research on the net.
Most of the information I found online stated that plantain is not palatable raw, it must be cooked (fried) or if you try to eat it raw it's skin must be black otherwise it is unripe and it will taste like unripe persimmon and it will give you horrible cramps.
Well, I always have been a kind of rebel so went back to the grocer the same day and came home with 3 plantains. Their skin was a bit yellowish but I thought I will give them another couple of days on the kitchen counter to ripen and then I will give them a try.
Three (or more?) days later their skin became a dark yellow colour (with just a few black spots by the ends) and I declared them ripe enough to process.
I think my recipe is great and the dish will keep in the fridge for a few days. I suggest preparing it in the evening so that the flavours can infuse and come out overnight. My plantains tasted fantastic, they had a slight banana-y flavour but the flesh stays firm even after being marinated for days. It is just devine!
I would imagine you could add some lemongrass and garlic as well for a more intense asian flavour.
I guess it is at least 4 servings as this is how many times I ate from it. It tastes great on its own but even better with cherry tomatoes and raw crackers.
3 plantains
3 large spring onions with their greens
3 heaped tablespoons of coconut flakes
a large bunch of cilantro chopped finely
For the dressing:
3 limes
raw agave nectar
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons of extra virgin coconut oil
Himalayan pink salt, freshly ground black pepper and chile flakes
Cut the plantains in quarters lenghthwise and slice the quarthers in 2-3mm thick slices.
Slice the spring onions with their greens thinly and mix with the plantain in a bowl.
Add the coconut flakes, the finely chopped coriander and the zest of all 3 limes.
Prepare the dressing in a separate bowl: just whisk the juice of the limes with the two different oils and season it with agave nectar, salt and pepper and chile flakes to taste.
Pour it over your veggies and done!
Marinate your dish at least overnight, but you may give it a day or two as well in the fridge.
thank you!!! i've tried dehydrating my plantains and they are not good at all! So, thank you for this recipe! When i'm done juicing, i think i know what i'm making :)
I love the addition of Mango from one of the other users!
I do something very similar but I wait until the skins are black. Slice the plantain, add fresh mango and coconut (dried is ok) and some raisins. Smother in lime juice and Jamaican jerk spices!
Paige4,
glad to hear you like the idea!
Let me know if you liked the dish as well and also, if you made any changes.
E
ahhh thank you so much for this recipe!! i went to one of my local grocery stores the other day and saw plantains, but couldn't figure out what I would've done with them raw. I'll most definitely try this