Plantain flour?

[piccola]

My grocery store has a fairly extensive Latino/Caribbean section, which brings me no end of fun. Saw plantain flour in there today - a big bag for slightly more than $1.

Recipe on the back looks like polenta, but I'm curious: what else can I do with this??

[scuzzo]

Thanks for your cool post! Fun to learn about plantain flour. I must now look for it. I do wonder if it would fry up to a crispy coating for something like fish??? Please let me know if you try that.

[ivank]

Hi Piccola, am I correct that your grocery store is in/close to Toronto? I've been looking for somewhere to buy plantain flour and can't find it anywhere! Would you mind letting me know where it is? Thanks!

[piccola]

It was either the Sobey's at Dupont and Shaw or the Loblaws at Dupont and Christie.

@cimui, those pancakes sound great. And the pudding too!

[ivank]

I checked both today. Neither of them carries it apparently. Perhaps they stopped carrying it, I was quite disappointed!

[piccola]

Aw, boo. But I can imagine there might not be that much demand... I'll let you know if I spot it elsewhere.

[cimui]

Old thread, but one I'm hoping to revive, since I just purchased plantain flour on impulse (while on the hunt for ipsedixit's canned sardines / mackerel). The recipe on the back of MY package has something that looks like pudding (add with sugar to milk and boil).

I also found this one googling:

Plantain Pancakes

2 cups plantain flour
3 tsp baking powder
½ tsp sea salt
3 tablespoons cane juice crystals
2 eggs
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cup milk

Mix ingredients thoroughly and spoon onto hot griddle.

Fruit can be added if desired.

(from http://www.barryfarm.com/nutri_info/f...

)

Would love to hear additional ideas if y'all have 'em. I have my doubts about tamales since the texture seems to be much stickier than masa flour -- but please let me know if I'm wrong!

[cimui]

Alright, I feel like I'm talking to myself a bit, but I thought I'd report back, anyway. I made the plantain 'pudding' from the package last night because I was curious. It's actually quite tasty -- full of real banana / plantain flavor, nothing like the packaged "banana" pudding you buy in a grocery store. Great texture. I loved it.

I plan on finding and trying more savory recipes and will report back if I come across anything good.

[davidnpohl]

old post, but if you're still looking for recipes try "empanadas de verde" an ecuadorian favorite - basically an empanada made with plantain flour instead of wheat or corn. absolutely delicious! i have only eaten them there but plan to try it out here at home soon. here's a recipe i found but haven't tried - it's in english - and if you skip the making of the dough from fresh plantains and use the flour instead it looks rather straightforward. good luck!

[cimui]

davidnpohl, if you post that recipe, i'd be thrilled! it sounds wonderful and perfect for me since i'm wheat intolerant. i've never successfully made 100% corn empanadas -- they seem to need some wheat flour to hold them together properly -- but given how sticky plantain flour seems to be, i bet it would work well.

i've mostly been using the plantain flour to make patties / pancakes, very simple ones that can either be made either savory or sweet and then topped with stew for dinner or fruit for breakfast.

[paulj]

http://laylita.com/recipes/2008/01/15...

is an empanadas de verde recipe, though it uses green plantains, not the flour.

[cimui]

Ah bummer. I know from my prior attempts to make mofongo that I'm no good at all at working with green plantains. I wonder whether plantain flour could really substitute and if so, what an appropriate ratio of substitution would be. I remember spending a lot of time trying to find a substitution ratio a while back, without success. So If anyone has pointers for how I could swing it, I'd be most grateful!

Nice link, though, PaulJ -- appreciate you posting it. Have you tried making these? (I can only imagine how I'd struggle with that sticky dough!)

[adamclyde]

Maybe you can use it for empanada dough to make plantain emapanadas.

[Veggietales]

Use it like masa and make sweet and savory tamales.