Last week Sunday, I was craving a plantain dish. Luckily for me, I had bought some plantains earlier on in the week. I decided I was going to prepare something different with my plantains, and the choice was to make a plantain salad. After spending a good amount of time surfing the internet for different plantain salad recipes, I was motivated to make my own “Nigerian inspired plantain salad”. I call it “Nigerian inspired” because the colours and flavors in this dish remind me of Nigeria and its beautiful and vibrant culture and food. This was the first time I made this dish and I’m totally pleased with the outcome. Once I had my first spoon, my taste buds experienced a dance of flavors; the sweetness of the plantains and sugar, zing of the lemon, sting of the hot peppers and coolness of the cucumbers. This is a dish you definitely have to prepare, because it tastes so good and is equally healthy. Let me know your comments when you try this out.
*Please use ripe plantains for this salad, or else it might not turn out well.*
INGREDIENTS
Salad
2 large ripe plantains
½ of a small red onion (optional)
1 bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange)
1 medium cucumber
½ cup canned sweet corn
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herb (parsley, coriander, or basil)
Salad Dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey or brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
dash of salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly chopped atarodo/scotch bonnet peppers or a dash of freshly ground pepper (optional)
dash of Italian seasoning (optional)
PREPARATION
1. Remove the skins of the plantains. (Since the plantains are ripe, the skins will come off quite easily)
2. Slice plantains into circular bite size pieces
3. Put the sliced plantains into a medium sized saucepan with enough water to cover; let them boil for 10 minutes or until they are soft enough for a fork to pass through
4. Drain the water from the plantains using a colander; set aside to cool
5. While the plantains are cooling, seed and chop your bell pepper, onion, and cucumber; using a can opener, open your canned sweet corn and drain the water
6. To make your salad dressing, use a spoon or whisk to properly mix the olive oil, honey or brown sugar, lemon or lime juice, italian seasoning, salt and pepper together. You can adjust the salad according to your taste.
7. Once the plantains are enough, in a salad bowl, combine the plantains, chopped bell pepper, red onion, cucumber, fresh herb (I used parsley), and salad dressing and mix everything together
8. Refrigerate for about 5-10 minutes to allow the salad dressing really seep into the salad.
9. Serve the salad with any side of your choice. I had mine with salt and pepper stick shrimps.
Things to note about this recipe
· You can add other vegetables like spinach, tomatoes and carrots
· You can adjust the measurements of the salad dressing ingredients depending on your taste preference. I prefer my salad dressing on the sweeter side.
· Use white onions or do not use onions at all if you do not want the strong taste of red onions
Don’t forget to leave your comments or ask questions. Have a blessed week:)
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Wow, it’s a whole new way to eat plantains. Will def try it!
Racheal:) Yes it is oh. Please let me know how it turns out when you try it.