Similar to yams, plantains are a major source of carbohydrates in the typical Nigerian diet.
Plantains are very versatile in their use (in cooking) and can quite easily be matched with a range of other ingredients to make a balanced diet. Read more about plantains in one of my previous posts here.
Plantains served with stewed spinach make a change from the norm in Nigerian cuisine because they are more often used to make snacks or side dishes. In my recipe today, plantain is served with spinach as a complete meal. Try it
What you need
What to do
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| Funke Koleosho's Plantain with Stewed Spinach |
Plantains served with stewed spinach make a change from the norm in Nigerian cuisine because they are more often used to make snacks or side dishes. In my recipe today, plantain is served with spinach as a complete meal. Try it
What you need
- 2 mature and just ripe plantains
- 2-3 bunches of broad leaf spinach
- 300g skinless cod/haddock (any other white fish can be used)
- 1 jar of Molli's Jollof cooking sauce (you can make some sauce using tomatoes, peppers, onions and scotch bonnet chilli. (See the recipe in one of my previous posts here.)
- Salt
What to do
- Peel the plantains and slice thinly. Fry for about 3 minutes on each side in a shallow pan. Transfer the fried plantain onto kitchen paper towel to remove the excess oil. Alternatively, you can boil the plantain instead of frying.
- Pick the spinach leaves from the stems, and wash thoroughly to remove traces of sand. Blanch in hot salted water for no more than 2 minutes. Cool straight away by running cold water over the blanched spinach. As an alternative, you can steam the spinach or heat in the microwave for about 2 minutes, high power. Squeeze excess water out of the spinach and slice thinly. Then set aside.
- Cut the fish into 2-3 large pieces. Rub with some salt and pan fry or grill. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Apply more or less time depending on the thickness of the fish.
- In a sauce pan, empty the content of 1 jar of Molli's Jollof Cooking sauce or about 6 serving spoons of pre-made Nigerian style red pepper sauce.
- Allow to sizzle and heat up and then add the spinach. Stir well to ensure even distribution of sauce with the spinach. Add salt if needed.
- Lower the heat and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Serve with the plantain and fish.
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| Plantain with Stewed Spinach |