All About Plantains: Different Varieties and How to Cook Them (2024)

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All About Plantains: Different Varieties and How to Cook Them? ›

Unripe green and yellow plantains tend to be tougher making them perfect for boiling, stewing or frying. Plantains with a blacker color, that have not gone bad, are sweeter in flavor making them perfect for desserts and sweet maduros served as side dishes.

Discover how to cook plantain with our easy methods and top tips. Try it barbecued, fried or baked with plenty of spices and punchy flavours. Plantains look like large bananas, and can be green, yellow or almost black.

While the name plantain is often given to all Musa cultivars that are cooked before eating, botanically speaking, true plantains belong to one of four cultivar groups: French, French horn, false horn, and horn.

But since the unripe plantains don't taste like much on their own, soaking the slices in salt water will help draw out their subtle flavors. Soaking green plantains can also add moisture to the naturally dry starch and help the tostones to crisp up nicely when they're fried.

A ripe plantain is best when it's mostly black with a little yellow, and still slightly firm to the touch, like when you squeeze a peach. Although completely black plantains are still good to eat, they are a little too soft, making them difficult to prepare. But they're still delicious.

If you're looking for a healthier preparation method, consider baking your plantains instead of frying them. Once peeled, the plantain can be baked whole or in slices. You can also add spices and seasoning, such as salt, cayenne, or cinnamon.

Add 2 tablespoons oil, such as canola or vegetable, to a nonstick skillet to coat the bottom of the pan, and place it on medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the plantains in batches. Fry the plantains on each side until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes on one side, and about 1 minute on the other side.

Bananas and plantains have very similar nutrition profiles. Both are good sources of several vitamins, including potassium, magnesium and vitamin C. They're also good sources of fiber. Bananas do have more sugar, though, and plantains have more starch.

Plantains are commonly prepared while either ripened (while they're yellow with black spots) or unripened (when they're light green). Plantains are inexpensive and easily accessible at most stores. Many plantains, however, are much larger than the common banana, so they're easy to recognize.

There are over 200 species of plantain within the genus Plantago, and, as far as I know, all are edible. There's a lot of talk about Plantago's Old World roots and how early European settlers introduced it to Native Americans.

How unhealthy are fried plantains? ›

Plantains are a healthy food, but some ways of cooking them make them less healthy. Many plantain recipes call for frying. Because they easily absorb oil, this quickly raises the calorie and fat count per serving. Some other plantain dishes, such as those for desserts, include lots of added sugar.

Plantains are a carb-rich food and a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They also contain antioxidants that fight free radicals. With good levels of vitamin C, they can also support immune function. Likewise, their vitamin B6 content may reduce cardiovascular risk and improve mood.

Plantains can be cooked when they're green or yellow but, for frying, they're best when they're mostly black with a little bit of yellow still left. I once tried frying plantains when they were still mostly yellow with a few black spots, and they were a little on the dry side and not as flavorful.

Cooked plantains are nutritionally very similar to a potato, calorie-wise, but contain more of certain vitamins and minerals. They're a rich source of fiber, vitamins A, C, and B-6, and the minerals magnesium and potassium. This hidden superfood warrants a trip your local grocery. Read on to learn why.

Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major) is a weed found mostly in temperate regions of the world. It originated in Eurasia and is considered to have been introduced to the New World through New England by the Puritans. There, it was initially cultivated for its highly regarded medicinal properties.

So, green plantains are a bit higher in calories, fiber, vitamin C, and folate. Whereas yellow plantains are slightly higher in carbohydrates and potassium.

Also, it may be preferable to bake or boil plantains rather than frying them. That said, eating plantains in moderation can greatly contribute to a healthful diet, as they contain essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

#1 Boil or Stew Plantains

The size of the pot will depend on how many plantains you intend to cook. They should have enough room to boil evenly on all sides and not be too cramped. Once the water is boiled, add a pinch of salt and place the plantains in the water for about 15-20 minutes.

Tostones chips, rice, and beans complement each other nicely thanks to the salty and hearty flavor profile of the rice and beans. Rice and beans could also double as a kind of dip that could be scooped with the plantain chips.