More oven-roasted veg! Plantains this time but I also have an oven-roasted taro on here, and have already tackled the elephant in the room. Basically covering all my basesand tuberswith this fool-proof method of cooking them.

Taro is my personal favourite in this category of starchy veg but they are admittedly fiddly. They need to be cooked and peeled and it takes a bit of effort to deal with their slimy coating. Plantains on the other hand are the easiest in this regard – just chop them up into rounds (easier still if you own a mandoline), toss with coconut oil, sambar powder, curry leaves, and salt, and bung them in the oven. Sliced so thinly, the whole process from raw plantain stage to shovelling fistfuls into your mouth takes shorter than 30 mins.

Note: get acquainted with your oven. All ovens vary widely and these plantains go from crispy to burnt in the blink of an eye (okay I’m exaggerating but you get the point). Keep a lookout about three-quarters of the way through cooking time lest they burn and turn into wood chips.

There’s some confusion regarding plantains and raw bananas. I’m referring to vazhakkai here.

OVEN-ROASTED PLANTAINS

Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

  • 2 green plantains (about 400g in total)
  • 2 ½ teaspoons sambar powder
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 2 sprigs of curry leaves
  • Salt, to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180 C.
  • Slice the plantains into ¼ inch rounds (keeping the skin on). Use a knife or a mandoline for slicing.
  • Toss the plantains with sambar powder, curry leaves, coconut oil, and salt. Lay them out on a large baking tray in an even layer without too many overlaps.
  • Bake in the top rack of your oven for 15-20 mins until golden and crispy. Serve immediately.

Notes

Cooking times may vary because of your rack position, so keep an eye out after 15 mins. They may take up to 25-30 mins to get crispy.
There’s some confusion regarding plantains and raw bananas. I’m referring to vazhakkai here.

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