How to Cook Green Bananas

Most people think bananas are only good when they are ripe and yellow. While it is true that eating an unripe banana will probably make your stomach wish you had more common sense, there are plenty of ways to cook green bananas in delicious recipes. This recipe for Green Bananas in Aji-Li-Mojili sauce comes from the northern Caribbean, where bananas and their larger cousins, plantains, are plentiful. This recipe is also suitable for those of you who follow vegan or vegetarian diets!

Ingredients

8-12 unripe green bananas
Water
2 tbsp salt for boiling, 1 tsp for sauce
2 cloves of garlic
3 small sweet peppers
2 peppercorn grains or 1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp vinegar
Cocktail toothpicks

Steps

1
Cut the ends of the bananas.
2
Make two cuts along the length of the banana, on opposite sides. The cut should only go as deep as the skin. Do not remove the skins.^{[1]
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3
Place the bananas in boiling water and cover for 15 minutes.^{[2]
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4
Drain the water and peel the bananas.
5
In the same pot, place 8 cups of water and 2 tbsp of salt and bring to a boil.
6
Place the bananas in the boiling water and cover them.
7
Boil gently for 10 minutes.^{[3]
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8
Add 1 cup of cold water and boil for another 5 minutes.
9
Drain and let the bananas cool.
10
Cut into one-inch slices and place them into a glass or porcelain container.^{[4]
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11
Place garlic, sweet peppers and peppercorns into a mortar and crush with a pestle. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, give them a few pulses in a food processor or blender.^{[5]
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12
Add olive oil, lime juice, vinegar and 1 tsp of salt. Mix well.
13
Add the sauce to the green bananas and toss to mix well.^{[6]
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14
Serve promptly with cocktail toothpicks.^{[7]
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Community Q&A

Question

Must they be eaten immediately? Can they be refrigerated?

Community Answer

They should be eaten immediately.
Question

How can I peel the bananas easier without boiling?

Community Answer

The colder the plantain, the harder the peel is to get off. If you don't want to boil it, you can warm the plantain under hot water in the sink for a few minutes before peeling.
Question

Can I dehydrate unripened bananas?

Community Answer

No, because unripe bananas are already relatively dry, and since they are not edible at that point, you will find it difficult to rehydrate for cooking or eating,

Warnings

Do not refrigerate after preparation, as they get hard very quickly.

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Do not try this recipe with plantains. It does not work.

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