Green plantain porridge

Serves 4. About 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 2 green plantains (about 600g)
• 750ml water
• 400ml tin coconut milk, or 400ml milk
• 1 cinnamon stick, or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• A pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 to 4 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk or brown sugar, to taste
• 1 or 2 bananas, sliced, to serve

Method

1. Peel the plantains: cut off the ends, slit the skin along its length and prise it off. Chop them roughly.
2. Blend the plantain with 500ml of the water until completely smooth. No blender? Grate it finely and stir it into the water.
3. Pour it into a saucepan with the rest of the water, the coconut milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat, whisking all the time. It thickens quickly and will stick to the bottom if you leave it.
4. Turn the heat to low and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until thick and glossy and it no longer tastes starchy. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick.
5. Take out the cinnamon stick, stir in the vanilla and sweeten to taste. Serve hot with sliced banana on top.

Tip: Green plantain needs cooking through, so give it the full time. Leftovers set firm in the fridge; loosen them with a little milk as you reheat. Oat or almond milk works in place of coconut milk, and maple syrup or honey in place of condensed milk.

Get the ingredients

• Banana - Cavendish (1kg)
• Horn Plantains - Class 1 (All sizes)