Plantains could be your new best friend, whether baked, fried, or in a curry

Try recipes with plantains – they work well fried, baked and are perfect in curries too. — Photo: Fabian Sommer/dpa

Oblong, slightly curved, with skin that is usually a bit greener but often with brown or black spots: plantains, or cooking bananas, are larger and more angular than regular yellow dessert bananas.

Unlike sweet fruit bananas, green plantains tend to be rather sour and tart, which is why they are mainly eaten cooked.

They work well in a slew of savoury recipes. In many tropical and subtropical regions of Latin and South America, Africa and Asia, plantains are a staple food and are prepared in a similar way to potatoes, says the Bavarian Consumer Advice Centre (VZB).

Perfect for curries and stews

"As they ripen, some of the starch is converted into sugar. This makes them taste slightly sweeter, but they remain significantly less sweet than bananas,” says Katharina Holthausen, a nutrition expert at the VZB.

Ripe plantains are usually steamed, fried, baked or deep-fried. They work particularly well in Caribbean and African curries and stews.

You can also make flour from dried green plantains, which is a good gluten-free substitute for people with coeliac disease.

Bear in mind that depending on where you live, the fruit may have travelled a long way before it reaches the shop shelves. That could make its carbon footprint worse than that of potatoes, depending on what grows locally for you.

Grilled with salsa

Grilled ripe plantains are naturally sweet, low in fat and are a good source of energy. They also make an excellent finger food for younger children, says Britain's National Health Service (NHS).

Grilled plantain with fresh salsa is an easy dish to prepare, the NHS says.

Recipe: Grilled plantains, served with a salsa made of finely chopped tomatoes, cucumber and spring onions.

• Time to prepare: 15 minutes
• Time to cook: 10 minutes
• Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 ripe plantains
• 1 tomato, finely chopped
• Quarter of a cucumber, finely chopped
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 pinch ground black pepper

Method

1. Peel plantains by chopping both ends off and making a slit along the whole length of each plantain skin. Slide your thumb under the slit to loosen and remove the skin.
2. Cut each plantain in half and then cut each piece lengthwise. (You should have 8 pieces altogether).
3. Grill on a low heat turning occasionally for about 10 minutes or until cooked. (Plantains are soft inside but not sticky when cooked).
4. Meanwhile, make the salsa by mixing together the tomato, cucumber and spring onion.
5. Make a fruity salsa by substituting 2 chopped pineapple rings in natural juice for the tomato. Season with pepper, then serve with the warm plantain.
6. If you like things spicy, add a little finely chopped fresh red chili to the salsa, or use a pinch of chilli powder instead.