Tag: plantain

Plantain Stuffed Chapati.

On By WanjoroIn RecipesLeave a comment

If you have been following me for a while, you know I am all about fun, colourful, delicious food, and the more vegetables I can put in, the better.

I like my chapati in all colours and flavours, so long as it is healthy (natural) and delightful to my taste buds.

These chapatis are like aloo paratha, but instead of a mashed potato filling, I made one with spicy steamed ripe plantain.

Can you peep the yellow plantain peeking through?

These delicious and filling chapati are a perfect lunchbox or tea time snack, or even with a delicious stew.

Let’s get started:

You will need 1-2 yellow ripe plantain. Boil or steam the plantain with one teaspoon of mixed spices and some salt and pepper.

I used one large yellow plantain.
This is the mixed spice blend I used this time round. I like it in chapati and vegetable dishes and bakes.
Once the plantain is soft and cooked, drain and set aside to cool down completely.

Move on to the chapati dough…

In a large bowl, mix 1 cup each of besan (chickpea flour), all purpose flour and atta (wholemeal) flour.

I like adding besan flour to my chapati, it makes them softer, adds a yellow tinge and some flavour too.

For the chapati dough, I used 2 tbsp of this coconut oil. Paracahute brand works well too.
To the flour, add one teaspoon each of salt and sugar, and 1 cup of warm water. Knead it all well till it becomes a soft and smooth dough.
Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30-40 minutes.
Once the plantain is cooled down, mash till soft and add a tablespoon of chopped coriander leaves.

Now to make the chapati…

Divide your chapati dough into half, take one half and roll out into a large circle.

Apply a bit of oil, and sprinkle some flour.
Add half of the plantain stuffing, sprinkle a little more flour and roll into a tight jelly roll.
Cut in a similar manner to cinnamon rolls…
Pinch the top of the rolled chapati balls to close them then set aside on a floured surface, Proceed to do the same for the other half of the dough.
These amounts made 14 medium chapatis.

Once done, heat up your chapati pan on medium heat, not too hot.

Roll out each chapati as you make them. You do have to be more careful as they filling will seep out and they may stick to the surface you are rolling out on.
Place chapati on the now heated pan and let it cook on one side till bubbles form or rise, then flip to the other side.

You can either let them cook through and brush with oil after you remove from heat, or add the oil to the pan, like normal chapati.

Can you see the plantain patches on the chapati?
They look, smell and taste so good!
The chapati is soft but flaky, and there are little bits of plantain sweetness in each bite.

You can have them with a stew or curry, or for tea. Or just plain on it’s own. The kids loved them plain, I guess cause of the sweetness of the plantain which blends well with the savory spice and fried bread flavour of the chapati.

They are definitely worth a try!

What flavours do you like adding to your chapati?

Tasty Tamarind Pork and Eggplant Fry.

On By WanjoroIn RecipesLeave a comment

This is simple pork recipe that uses up easily available vegetables, and some tangy tamarind sauce ending up in a finger licking, tasty and colourful meal.

You will need:-

  • About 1 kg pork stew cut into chunks.
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds.
  • 2 sliced onions.
  • 1 tsp each minced ginger and minced garlic.
  • One bay leaf.
  • Mixed bell peppers.
  • 1 medium eggplant, cut in thick slices.
  • 2 tbsp tamarind paste.
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.
  • 1 tsp mixed spices blend.
  • 1 tbsp cooking oil.
  • I small bunch of coriander, chopped.
I like salting the eggplant after slicing, as it reduces the bitterness. Just brush off the salt or rinse off then pat dry with a paper towel, before adding back to the pan.

First off, rub the meat with the mixed spice blend then brown it, set aside.

Next pan fry the eggplant and set aside too.

This is the mixed spice blend I used in this instance. I like it as it is blends in well with many dishes, both meat or vegetable, sweet or savoury.

To the same pan, you had browned the meat, mustard seeds, followed by the onion and bay leaf, and cook till onion its soft.

Add your minced ginger and garlic and mix well, before adding the tomato paste.

Add the Tamarind paste next.

Followed by the fried eggplant. You can also used roasted eggplant too.

Next goes in the pork. Mix well and let cook till pork is ready.

Last addition will be the assorted bell peppers, let them cook a while and switch off heat. Remember to add coriander for garnish.

Serve hot.

Look at how beautiful that plate is!
You can have it with some baked plantain, I mean, plantain goes well with almost everything.
And you can complete the meal with a crunch fresh salad on the side. This lettuce, tomato and onion one did just fine.

The pork is tender, flavourful and smells amazing. This is one meal that is sure to please your family.

This is definitely worth a try don’t you think?

Delicious Vegetable Stew.

On By WanjoroIn Recipes5 Comments

My daughter calls this Pesh’s red stew, after her Aunty who introduced this lovely dish to me. I had it when back home and craved it when we got back to Kampala, had to text her to send me the recipe. I had to use what I had on hand, but it was delicious all the same.

It is tasty, colorful, healthy, filling, meat free, gluten free and easy to make. What’s not to love about it?

It is full of colorful and healthy garden vegetables. Beetroot, carrot, zucchini, eggplant and chickpeas simmered together in a tomato and onion sauce. It’s finger licking good!

Let’s get started.

Ingredients are:-

  • 1 tsp cooking oil.
  • 1 cup drained and rinsed chickpeas
  • 1 onion, chopped.
  • 1 carrot, chopped.
  • 1 beetroot, peeled and chopped.
  • I green, I yellow and 1 red capsicum, chopped.
  • I bunch of coriander. Stalks and leaves separated and chopped.
  • 2 tomatoes.
  • 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste.
  • 1 tsp, grated fresh turmeric.
  • Spices are a tsp of paprika, Kenyan curry powder salt and pepper to taste.
  • 1 cup water or stock.
  • 1 medium eggplant and 1 medium courgette, both chopped and soaked in salty water. (This helps remove the bitterness in the eggplant and helps them maintain their shape and natural flavour when cooked, just remember to rinse and drain before adding to the saucepan).

Method.

Heat your sauce pan of choice, add the oil, once hot add the onion and coriander stalks, cook till soft.

Next add your garlic and ginger paste as well as the fresh turmeric. Mix well and let cook till they stop smelling raw, then add your spices. Ensure the spices cook well and do not burn, the tomatoes go on and cook till soft.

The carrot and beetroot go next, followed by the eggplant and courgette. You can cover and let them cook for a while after adding some salt and pepper.

Once they are cooked for about 7 minutes, add the bell pepper then the drained chickpeas, with your vegetable stock or water.

Lower heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

When ready, garnish with coriander and serve hot with your starch of choice, though as with most meals, you can just have a bowl on its own.

We had ours with some roasted plantain and avocado slices, Yum!

Colourful, tasty, easy to make, healthy and doesn’t take too much time to cook; what’s not to love about this dish?

Instant Pot Goat Curry.

On By WanjoroIn RecipesLeave a comment

We love our goat meat in this family. We eat more goat than beef, chicken and fish. And it is good for you; lower in calories and sodium than beef, has vitamin B, calcium and is a great source of protein, among other benefits.

I decided to make this in my instant pot as I realised I do not use it much and I was also curious to find out how the meat would turn out.

Let’s get started.

You will need, I kg goat meat, (I used boneless as it is what I had, but bone in meat is better). Ginger garlic paste, onion, sliced tomato, and a teaspoon of mixed spice that I have already shared in my curried goat recipe here.

Marinate your meat in a tbsp of the ginger garlic paste, a small pinch of grated turmeric and the spice blend. You can let it marinate overnight or for a few hours.

Set instant pot on and on sauté mode. Add a tbsp of coconut oil once hot then add the onions.
I had some leftover green pepper, so I tossed it in too. Let the onions cook till soft then add the tomatoes. Let cook and mix well.

You can also add some salt and pepper at this point.

Add your marinated meat and mix well into the onion, tomato mixture. Let is sauté a bit.
Add a half cup of water and switch off sauté mode.
Select meat mode, cover the instant pot properly with the vent facing the right direction and it will cook for 30 minutes.

I let it release pressure naturally for about ten minutes, then did a quick pressure release.

The meat is tender, the broth is full of flavour and tasty too.

Remember to garnish with chopped coriander and a squeeze of lemon before serving.

We had ours with a simple pea pilaf, fried plantain and a tomato cucumber salad.
The pea pilau was onion fried till golden with some garlic and a tbps of tomato paste. Then added pilau masala, salt, green peas and rice to make a delicious spiced rice dish.
Colourful, filling, tasty and easy to make. What’s not to love about this plate?

Do you have an ipot? What are some of the recipes you make in it?

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?