Green Plantain Oven Fries

Green Plantain, a member of the Banana family, is one of my favorites, although I cannot handle much of it thanks to its high starchiness and its tendency to cause digestive discomfort. Plantains are not usually eaten raw, they need to be cooked.

Botanically Banana plant is an herb, its fruit is considered a berry. Which is a fun trivia I never tire of sharing. Every part of banana plant is used in India, including its pseudo stem which can grow over 20 feet tall. Banana leaf is used as a dinner plate and a food wrapper; stem can be used to make a savory dish, called Koottu, with lentils; banana flower can be made into an incredibly delicious banana flower paruppusili; and of course, the berry/fruit itself can be cooked up in many ways, either raw green or ripe.

Plantain cooks up much like potatoes in many Indian dishes and is enjoyed as chips in many parts of south India. Riper plantains, not the raw green ones, are much relished in dessert form with a touch of brown sugar.

Green plantain fries in this recipe is baked in the oven at 400 °F for about 30 minutes or till desired crispness.

Skin and cut the plantain into thin sticks, toss with some olive oil and salt, and bake, stirring once or twice to get all the sides evenly crisped.

To keep up the Indian theme, I served it with some mint chutney for the adults, but the kdis prefer it with the ubiquitous ketchup.