If you are ever left with over ripe plantains that no one wants; as it often happens in my house; or if you’re thinking of a plantain breakfast, lunch or even dinner, then you must try this delicious savoury plantain pancake with prawns.
You should never waste food; and plantain is one of those ingredients that could be used in so many ways that it shouldn’t get to a point where it is tossed in the bin. If you have over ripe plantain, you can cook with yam or beans to make porridge. Kelewele is also a recipe that is great with soft black plantain; then of course; my savoury plantain pancake with prawns.
You’re probably wondering why I made savoury pancake with a sweet ingredient. Well, the combination of sweet and salty has always worked very well in plantain; which is why some people add salt while frying. The savoury ingredients in the pancake bring out the sweetness of the plantain to form complex, but amazing flavours.
Inspired by Korean pancakes, which I love, I added some prawns to my plantain pancake to make it more filling. This savoury pancake has thicker texture than regular plantains. It does not only make your taste buds sing, it is also very filling and great at any time of the day.
How To Make Savoury Plantain Pancake
You can omit the prawns to make the savoury plantain pancake suitable for vegetarians. If you’re using prawns, use cooked prawns as raw may not cook properly in the time required to make the pancakes.
Soft plantains are easy to mash with a fork or potato masher. If you’re using firm plantain, blending may make it easier to make the plantain into a batter.
This savoury pancake tastes better hot, so eat as soon as it comes off the pan.
Savoury Plantain Pancake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Plantain Ripe
- 50 g Flour
- Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon Ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Pepper flakes
- 2 Eggs
- 50 g Cooked small shrimps
- 2 tablespoon Oil To grease the pan
Instructions
Batter
- Cut the two ends of the plantain. Make a slit down the length and remove the skin.
- Cut the plantain into smaller pieces. Pour into a bowl; and use a fork or potato masher to mash.
- Add the flour, salt, ginger powder and onion powder into the bowl and mix.
- Break the eggs in, add the shrimp and mix until smooth.
Pancake
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.
- When the pan is hot, add a few drops of oil into the pan and spread with a paper towel around the base.
- Add a ladleful of the batter into the hot pan, then move the pan round to spread it across the base.
- Flip the pancake over when you can see little bubbles forming.
- Cook for another 2-3 mins and remove from pan.
- Add more oil to the pan if required as you make the rest of the batter.
I love savory pancakes, and I had a plantain that was... well... pretty desperate. My local grocery is pretty inconsistent with produce, so when plantains look good, I tend to buy up more than I have plans to use, so I appreciate recipes that suit all ripeness levels. It was tasty by itself, and I also ate it with some stew. Functional, convenient, easy... just an all around good recipe.
Thanks for the feedback as always.