Baked Plantain Loaf
Overview
Ripe plantains mashed to a paste, combined with rice flour and turmeric-infused oil, then baked in a loaf tin and sliced. The source places it in Ivory Coast, where plantain in every form is close to universal. It is worth being clear about what this is, because the title is misleading in two directions. It is not sliced plantain roasted in an oven, which is what most people mean by baked plantain. And the recipe uses rice flour as a binder and turmeric for colour, which makes it a plantain loaf or cake, closer in construction to a steamed pudding than to a side dish. The slug says load rather than loaf, which appears to be a typo in the original; the URL has been kept exactly as it is. One ingredient does not fit the stated origin. Chilli sambal is Indonesian and Malay, and it is not part of Ivorian cooking. It may be a substitution the contributor made for a local pepper paste, but the source does not say so, and rather than invent an explanation it has been flagged. The source's nutritional comparisons with potato have not been carried across. What matters for cooking is that ripe plantain is sweet and starchy, and that is what makes the loaf hold together.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Peel the plantains, cut them into chunks and put them into a large mixing bowl.
- 2
Mash them to a thick paste with your fingers or blend them. If you use a blender you may need 30 to 60 ml of water to get it moving.
- 3
Work in the chilli sambal, rice flour and salt until evenly combined.
- 4
Warm the corn oil gently in a frying pan and mix the turmeric through it.
- 5
Take the oil off the heat and blend it into the plantain mixture, which should end up thick but still soft enough to pour.
- 6
If it is too loose, work in a little more rice flour; if too stiff, loosen it with small amounts of water.
- 7
Grease a loaf tin and pour the mixture in.
- 8
Bake at 150 to 180°C for about an hour, until cooked through and firm.
- 9
Let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack.
- 10
Slice and serve with salted peanuts, or alongside spicy dishes.
Africook’s Notes
- Use plantains that are properly ripe, yellow with substantial black patching. Green plantain is starchy rather than sweet and will not bind the same way.
- Get the consistency right before it goes in the tin. Thick but pourable is the target, and it is far easier to correct in the bowl than in the oven.
- Infuse the turmeric in warm oil rather than mixing it in dry. It disperses evenly and the colour is much better.
- Let it stand before turning out. A hot plantain loaf is fragile and will break if you rush it.
- Rice flour is what keeps this gluten-free. Wheat flour works but changes both the texture and the dietary status.
- It slices better once completely cool, and it keeps for a few days wrapped.
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