bananalover

I have heard a lot about the best dessert type bananas but would like to know the best cooking-type banana. Is there a difference between them?

bananalover

Sorry I mean is there a difference among cooking type bananas.
On another subject, I saw four different types of bananas in our grocery store today. The regular, a yellow finger type, a red finger type and a plantain. I think this shows that they are definitely trying new types in the marketplace lately. Never saw a red type until today.

Jeff

There is a difference in cooking bananas. Some have a lot more starch in them. Hua Moa gets my vote as the best cooking banana - not too much starch. Definitely my favorite. It makes great tostones!

Our local grocery stores have been carrying different bananas also. I have seen red bananas and little tiny bananas labeled as "baby bananas". I've been buying the red ones instead of the yellow ones lately. Love the color of the skins and the taste of the reds.

GATrops

Jeff-I agree with you about Hua Moa for tostones. I was in Atlanta earlier today and picked up some at the market. I just finished frying them up and eating a big plate full of them. Wow, they are excellent.

Jeff

GATrops. you are lucky to find them in the market in Atlanta. I have seen them in the gorcery stores in Miami but unfortunately not in Tampa. They are definitely my favorite cooking banana! You're making me hungry for some good tostones!!

GATrops

Jeff-There is a market on the east side of Atlanta that has a great selection of fruit and produce. I have even bought Durian's there in the past. Yesterday I was able to find Mamey Sapotes, Kent Mangoes, catcus pears and the Hua Moa's. (The prices are really good also.) I have seen the Hua Moa's in the Keys when I have been down there in the past. We never see them around Savannah unless we "import" them ourselves.

tlturbo

OK guys, please tell me how to make those. I have a Saba and a Hua Moa that will have fruit and I need to know what to do with them.
I feel ashamed that I live in S FL and don't know how to cook bananas.
ANY recipies appreciated.

Terry

Southern-Grower

for me i take the yellow but not ripe dwarf orinoco and cut into quarters.

cover with sugar and put in frying pan with butter till golden brown..
then i coat with brown sugar and cook till it carmelizes.

some have tasted like french toast... good treat..

i've also taken green d.o. and fried in butter.. they tasted like a potato..

joe posted a cool cooking link "Banana Recipes .. explains a lot better than i..

__________________
Happy Growing,

SG

Enjoy Life as it's too Short

GATrops

Terry- I pretty much follow the directions for "Deep-Fried Plantain" in the link Southern-Grower mentioned above from JoeReal. The only change I make is that I do not fry them to as golden a color when they are in the oil for the first time. If you want to get them crunchy make sure you do not crowd them in the pan and the oil is not too hot during the second frying. I also recommend a little garlic powder (or any of the "Badia" brand spice mixes) in addition to salt and pepper. They are also out of this world with guacamole and/or salsa.

JoeReal

A semi-ripe saba fruit (green with about 15%-25% yellow color) are the most versatile to use. It is firm and yet sweet, in the proper mix. My late grandparents have endless variations of how they are cooked. But when saba is ripe or green, they have very limited cooking choices.

Whatever type of plantain I could get my hands on, as long as they are semi-ripe, I just place a slit-cut through the length of the skin, then pop them in the microwave for 3-4 minutes, then enjoy plainly. I can live with this kind of meal for a year three times a day by just accompanying it with wine or milk, a small salad, and or small portions of cooked meat or fish. The semi-ripe saba bananas are very hard to come by. They are always ripe when they hit the grocery stores. The regular plantain are usually sold as semi-ripe but these are more expensive.

tlturbo

Thanks Joe, I tried that last night with some store bought plantains. They were just starting to get some yellow color. I slit one side, wrapped in wax paper and nuked them. I probably over cooked them as they were pretty firm. Wasn't sure if they needed less or more nuke time to get softer. I used 5 minutes.

Explain semi-ripe please.

Terry

GATrops

Joe-I just tried your "3 minute microwave plantain". The result: Excellent! You are correct about being able to eat those 3 times a day for a year. I gave my wife a taste of it and she thought it may be as good as the tostones (and certainly less calories). Thanks again for sharing this one.

Jeff

This is how I make tostones: I cut the plantains into about 1" - 1.5" thick slices and fry in about 1/2" of oil on both sides until lightly browned. Then I take them out of the oil and use a coffee mug to smash them unti they are flattened out and very thin and then return them to the oil and cook until they are golden brown. Take them out and drain on paper towels and season with some course salt or garlic salt while they are still hot.

JoeReal

Some plantains from the store are really unripe even if they are yellow and those are hard when overcooked in the microwave. What I'd do for those plantains is to wait until they are a little bit soft. It is quite different with saba which is edible raw even if it has just about 15-25% yellow. A semi-ripe for me is at least palatable and firm when eaten raw, and the middle of the fruit has a slight hint of yellow or orange.

Joe.

Jetstream

I'll have to go with Hua Moa...



...these started fruiting this past February. Had a couple of good cold spells that caused a little fruitus interruptus...somewhat stunted, but still had a couple that made it to almost 6 inches long and 2 inches in diameter.

...cut in 1 to 2 inch chunks...into the baking dish...mix brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, orange marmalade, a little butter and a couple of glugs of Myers dark rum...pour on top...bake until done...mighty tasty...Z