Sunday, March 7, 2010

Scrumptious Bananes Pesées


Caribbean food is colourful, spicy and full of flavour. Most importantly, Caribbean food is extremely rich and fattening, which makes this type of cuisine awesomely savoury. Eating fried foods once in a while and in moderation will not make you gain 15 pounds in one sitting or kill you. Eating well doesn't mean to completely ignore extremely rich foods, but to select these types of foods and portions wisely. We live in a society where the media has such a powerful influence on the way we live our lives and the way we see ourselves. We're so pressured to stay thin and not to accept a few curves here and there that we forget to live the moment, to enjoy what life has to offer(like delicious food!), discovering new things, learning how to take care of ourselves without being obsessed about losing a few inches around our waist or thighs. We each have our own body types to embrace. We owe it to ourselves to listen to our own needs and not to others' needs (so-called friends and the media).

Of course, it's a different story if a person is significantly overweight. Then this person will most likely develop health complications. Again, moderation is the key to healthy eating.

Having a special attachment to the people of Haïti, I'd like to share this Bananes Pesées recipe with you, which is a national favourite in Haïti. It's a deep fried dish considered as a daily snack or a side dish. Though most say that Haitians eat Bananes Pesées almost everyday, they have a very active lifestyle.
Furthermore, these awesome treats are so easy to prepare that even some Haïtian men who don't cook often say it's easy. Believe me, it is. You just need a small deep frying pan, oil, salt and plantains. Plantains tend to be firmer and lower in sugar content than dessert banana. They're often cooked like potatoes. You can purchase them at any fruits and veggies stores or Asian grocery stores. Bananes Pesées are like thick fries with a subtle sweetness to them. They're crunchy and so sinful.

Preparation: 5 minutes, Cooking time : 15 minutes


Recipe "au pif':
2 plantains, preferably green, and peeled (if you want sweeter you would go for riper plantains)
1/2 cup canola or peanut oil
4 cups water
2 tbsp of salt

Cut slices diagonally along the length of the bananas, in even thickness. You should have about 4 thick slices per banana.

In a deep frying pan, heat the oil at medium-high and add in the slices, let them fry until the tip of a knife can easily penetrate the banana (about 2 minutes).

Remove the slices and place them on a plate covered with paper towels to absorb the oil. Then lay them on a wooden cuttting board. Using another wooden cutting board, crush the slices in between the cutting boards by applying pressure to the top cutting board. The slices should be flattened down by about an inch (or about 2 cm).

Using a medium sized bowl, mix the water and salt. and soak the flattened slices of bananas in the salt water for about 2 seconds, one at a time. Pat them dry using paper towel, then slow add them back in the hot oil until the bananas are golden and crisp (about 2 minutes).

Serve hot as a side dish or snack. Serves 2-4 people depending on their glutony level!


They're so sinful that you won't be able to put one down until they're all gone. Just like chips.

Share and enjoy!

1 comment:

  1. I agree with everything you said in this post. I had plantains this morning for breakfast :)

    ReplyDelete