I stuffed the whole plantain and pan-fried it, felt so glad to have followed my mom’s idea…
When I look at vegetables or meat, I ponder for a second if I could stuff something into it. Oh yeah… I love to make stuffed food. Until now, I’ve successfully stuffed collard greens, red peppers, zucchini, banana peppers, and whole chicken. If you can create a hollow in the vegetable then you can definitely stuff them with anything you love.
A few weeks ago, I had bought plantain without even knowing that I could stuff them. I was thinking of making steamed plantain cake or sweet plantain or plantain fritters, I had way too many options. Before starting my cooking, I had a brief food talk with my mom over the phone and I told her that I would be making something with plantain for snack that day. She asked me right away: “have you tried stuffing plantain and pan-frying it?” I was like Hmm not really, can I stuff that too? Then she started explaining the preparation methods, at the end of the talk I screamed “Thanks mom” and I rushed into my kitchen to stuff the whole plantain.
I made the same stuffing that I use to make Unnakaya or stuffed plantain fry. I then pan-fried the stuffed plantain in ghee/oil. The aroma of the ghee along with the stuffing gave a totally different taste to plantain. It was incredibly easy and delicious. This would make a healthy breakfast or a healthy evening snack for both kids and adults.
Not to forget, plantain is packed with all the essential nutrients to keep us healthy and strong. If you haven’t yet tried plantain, make sure you soon start including it in your diet.
Cooking Video
Stuffed Whole Plantain:
Ingredients
- Plantain, ripe- 2 or more
For making stuffing
- Ghee- 2 tbsp
- Cashew nuts or Almonds, chopped- 1/4 cup
- Grated coconut- 1 cup
- Sugar- 2 tbsp
- Egg, beaten- 1
- Cardamom powder- 1/2 tsp
- Dates, chopped- 4
- Ghee- 2 tbsp for roasting coconut-egg
- For frying: Oil-1/2 cup oil or ghee
For making the glue
- All-purpose flour- 1/2 cup
- Water- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp to make a thick smooth batter
Instruction
- Use medium ripe plantains for making this, do not use too ripe plantains.
- Peel off the skin.
- Using a sharp knife, gently make a shallow slit lengthwise on the plantain.
How to make the stuffing
- Place a non-stick cooking pan over medium heat- add 1 tbsp ghee, cashew nuts; saute for a minute.
- Add grated coconut and sugar; roast till coconut turns golden in color.
- Add cardamom powder to the coconut.
- Add eggs to the roasted coconut and scramble the eggs.
- Add chopped dates, saute for a minute.
- Stuffing is ready, allow it to cool down.
How to stuff the whole plantain
- Take about 2 to 3 tbsp of the stuffing and gently stuff it into the slit.
- Using your hands, push the stuffing inside the plantain as much as you can.
- In a small bowl, combine all-purpose flour and water, make it into a thick paste.
- Apply this paste along the slit and glue the gap, apply some over the top of the sealed plantain too.
- Make sure the gap has closed well.
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat, add oil for pan-frying.
- Place the stuffed plantain sealed side down on the oil.
- Let the sealed side of the plantain turn golden brown, the slit will be closed tightly now.
- Using a flat spatula, carefully flip the plantain and let the other side turn golden brown too.
- Flip over a few times & pan fry till all the sides turn golden brown.
- Transfer to a paper towel.
- Garnish with the filling.
- The filling itself tastes delicious, enjoy that as well.
- Serve warm for breakfast or as an evening snack.
- Plantain, ripe- 2 or more
- Ghee- 2 tbsp
- Cashew nuts or Almonds, chopped- ¼ cup
- Grated coconut- 1 cup
- Sugar- 2 tbsp
- Egg, beaten- 1
- Cardamom powder- ½ tsp
- Dates, chopped- 4
- Ghee- 2 tbsp for roasting coconut-egg
- For frying: Oil-1/2 cup oil or ghee
- All-purpose flour- ½ cup
- Water- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp to make a thick smooth batter
- Use medium ripe plantains for making this, do not use too ripe plantains.
- Peel off the skin.
- Using a sharp knife, gently make a shallow slit lengthwise on the plantain.
- Place a non-stick cooking pan over medium heat- add 1 tbsp ghee, cashew nuts; saute for a minute.
- Add grated coconut and sugar; roast till coconut turns golden in color.
- Add cardamom powder to the coconut.
- Add eggs to the roasted coconut and scramble the eggs.
- Add chopped dates, saute for a minute.
- Stuffing is ready, allow it to cool down.
- Take about 2 to 3 tbsp of the stuffing and gently stuff it into the slit.
- Using your hands, push the stuffing inside the plantain as much as you can.
- In a small bowl, combine all-purpose flour and water, make it into a thick paste.
- Apply this paste along the slit and glue the gap, apply some over the top of the sealed plantain too.
- Make sure the gap has closed well.
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat, add oil for pan-frying.
- Place the stuffed plantain sealed side down on the oil.
- Let the sealed side of the plantain turn golden brown, the slit will be closed tightly now.
- Using a flat spatula, carefully flip the plantain and let the other side turn golden brown too.
- Flip over a few times & pan fry till all the sides turn golden brown.
- Transfer to a paper towel.
- Garnish with the filling.
- The filling itself tastes delicious, enjoy that as well.
- Serve warm for breakfast or as an evening snack.
