Plantains in sweet coconut sauce with cardamom

Plantains are so versatile, you can fry them up and sprinkle a little salt and chilly to serve them as a side to a meal or you can cook them in coconut cream, add in sugar and cardamom (or cinnamon) to make an irresistible dessert.

Variation:

If you want to take it a notch up, make the plantains as per the recipe and then add them into a pie tin lined with puff pastry and bake. Cannot begin to describe the heaven that will emerge out of the oven after 20 min at 200ºc.

How do you like your plantains?

Plantains in sweet coconut sauce with cardamom

Print Recipe

Plantains cooked in sweetened coconut milk and delicately spiced with cardamom

• Author: Vanessa Mehri
• Cuisine: East African

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2–3 plantains
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 3–4 cardamom pods

Instructions

1. Cut the ends and peel the plantains.
2. Slice the plantains lengthwise and cut into smaller pieces
3. In a non stick pan, add the cut plantains, cardamom pods and water. Bring to a boil and cook until the plantains soften. This can take up-to 8 min.
4. Once all the water has evaporated, add the coconut milk and cook on medium heat until the coconut milk thickens.
5. Add the sugar and cook for 5 min.

Notes

• If you want the coconut milk to stay white, remove the core (seeds) once you have cut the plantains lengthwise.
• You can also cut the plantains into slices
• If you aren’t a fan of cardamom, cinnamon works just as well.
• Do not stir the plantains once you add the coconut milk. They will be soft and can break.