Tag: gonja

Plantain and Tangerine Pancakes.

On By WanjoroIn RecipesLeave a comment

Yes. You read right.

Ripe plantain and sweet citrus flavours of fresh tangerines blend beautifully together in fluffy goodness.

Want to make them more decadent and delicious? Add in dark chocolate and a tangerine butter sauce and you’re on the highway to flavour heaven!

To make these delicious pancakes you will need:-

• 2 really ripe plantains, that is, yellow with lots of black, means its much sweeter, and a great way to use up your overripe plantain.

• 2 cups self raising flour

• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed tangerine juice.

• 1/2 cup buttermilk.

• 1 large egg.

• 1/4 cup coconut oil.

• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon.

• 1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate or chips.

Method.

The recipe is pretty straightforward.

Blend all the liquid ingredients, that is the egg, buttermilk, oil and the plantain till smooth. Pour into a bowl and add the flour, mix gently the batter will look something like this…

Then lastly fold in the chocolate.

Let the batter rest a bit, and make the same way you make your usual pancakes.

Soft, fluffy, sweet smelling little cakes of delight. This recipe makes 10-12 pancakes.

The best thing to serve them with?

How about a tangerine, chia and butter sauce? Yum!

Don’t they look yummy?

I love pancakes in all forms, and this is another favorite way to make them when tangerines are in season. Definitely worth a try!

Plantain Bread with Chocolate and Yoghurt.

On By WanjoroIn Recipes3 Comments

It is no secret we love plantain in our household in all its forms.

I have shared another plantain bread recipe here on the blog, but this one is a bit different. It is sweeter and has some different additional ingredients, which makes it more moist, and do not blame me when it disappears in a blink.

Look at how beautiful that loaf is!

Ingredients are:

  • 2 overripe plantains, (that are more black than yellow).
  • 2 eggs.
  • 1/2 cup of good quality coconut oil (can be alternated with unsalted softened butter).
  • 2/3 cup sugar.
  • 11/2 cup whole wheat flour (atta). You can use ordinary flour 1 cup and 1/2 cup of the atta flour too.
  • 1/2 cup natural yoghurt.
  • 1 tsp baking soda.
  • 11/2 tsp baking powder.
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon.
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence.
  • 1/2 cup grated dark chocolate.
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds.
  • 2 tbsp oats.
  • a small pinch of salt.

Method.

  • Preheat your oven to 180°C.
  • Grease your loaf pan.
  • In a large bowl, mash your plantain and add the eggs, sugar and oil. Mix well.
  • Next goes in the vanilla, chia seeds and natural yoghurt followed by the dry ingredients and cinnamon.
  • Mix well but gently till its a thickish batter.
  • Pour into your loaf pan.
  • Top with some sesame seeds and the chocolate. You can swirl in the chocolate a bit of you wish.
  • Bake for 35-45 minutes.

[PS. I use a temperamental gas oven, it took a little over 40 minutes to get it right. So, start checking at the 35 minute mark to be sure.]

The cake is moist, sweet and crumbly. This recipe is a keeper.

It tastes even better the next day, if it manages to last that long.

Beautiful, moist, delicious cake with an amazing aroma that will invite anyone around to your kitchen.

Definitely worth a try!

Plantain Bread.

On By WanjoroIn Memories, Recipes7 Comments

Plantain is a very versatile fruit, though we treat it like a vegetable. You can have it grilled, baked, fried, roasted, mashed, stewed or just boiled, and it is good for you. Just make sure you cook it, do not eat it raw.

It is rich in fibre, iron, Potassium, magnesium, vitamins A, C and B6 and tasty too.

If you have some left over, and ripening from yellow to black, fret not, you can still use them in pancakes, porridge (I have an awesome plantain porridge recipe coming soon), and quick bread/ Cake.

I like making simple loaves for the kids’ school snacks or tea time treat. It comes together fast and you can add raisins, coconut, nuts, whatever you fancy.

For a simple plantain loaf, you will need:-

2 overripe plantains, 1 1/2cups all purpose flour, 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp of tea masala spice (you can swipe with cinnamon), 2 eggs, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/ 4 tsp baking soda, 1/3 cup melted butter, 2 tbsp natural yoghurt, some chia seeds and coconut flakes.
  • Mash or puree your plantains and add the sugar, butter and the other liquid ingredients and mix well.
  • Sift the dry ingredients and add to the wet. Add you coconut flakes and chia seeds too.

Add the thick batter to a well greased loaf pan and bake at 160 degrees Celsius for about an hour. Start checking at around the 50 minutes mark, as it also depends on your oven and other variables.

It is not so level, but it’s never that serious is it?
The loaf is well baked and slides off the pan so easily, look at that bottom!
The loaf smells amazing and is moist and tasty. Definitely worth a try!

It is a fave in our house.

It tastes even better the next day, and if you want you can make a bigger one in a ring pan and even ice it a bit.

I think every kid likes this part. Other than eating of course. LOL!

For a bigger plantain bread/cake you can double the quantities and bake for 75 minutes.

Note: The riper the plantain the sweeter it is and the sweeter the plantain, the better. Also I do not use a lot of sugar, as we do not like our cakes too sweet.

I like adding coconut in it, finding the flavours blending together pretty well. You can also use coconut oil in place of the butter.

How do you like your plantain?

Let’s Plantain!

On By WanjoroIn Recipes, Schooling from home2 Comments

One of the things I love about Kampala is the fact that plantains are easily available. ‘Gonja‘ as they are known here are steamed, fried, baked, roasted/ grilled and even make some crunchy tasty crisps that my son loves a bit too much!

I am always assured of help by my little sous chef when his fave is on the dinner menu.

With it’s constant presence in my kitchen, I have been trying different recipes and ways to cook this delicious vegetable/ fruit. Here are some of the ways we have had it so far, and I will be sure to share any more new recipes using them.

You can pan fry them and have them with wings and a salad.

One can also deep fry them if they are still firm, they are a great snack that way. I like them yellow almost black though, which makes them better suited for baking and pan frying as they are softer then. Deep frying the really ripe ones makes them absorb too much oil.

I like them this way.
If they are too ripe ,bake them into a lovely plantain bread. just mash/ blend them like you would bananas for banana bread.
You can fry them with little to no oil in a non stick pan and have them with yummy fried fish and a warm cabbage beetroot salad.
Easy oven baked plantains with a sausage stew and some coleslaw. Quick, easy and a hit with the kids.
Who said you can’t have mashed plantains. Steam them and mash with a splash of warm milk, some butter and some pepper. Have them with a nice stew. It is so YUMMY!!
Or pan fry them and have them with some spicy chicken and salsa.

I do not want to lie and say I have a favourite way of having them, they are that versatile and delicious on their own or with other sides. I want to try making them with coconut milk next. How do you like your plantain?