How to Cook Green Bananas

Most people think bananas are only good when they are ripe and yellow. While it is true that eating an unripe banana will probably make your stomach wish you had more common sense, there are plenty of ways to cook green bananas in delicious recipes. This recipe for Green Bananas in Aji-Li-Mojili sauce comes from the northern Caribbean, where bananas and their larger cousins, plantains, are plentiful. This recipe is also suitable for those of you who follow vegan or vegetarian diets!

Ingredients

  • 8-12 unripe green bananas
  • Water
  • 2 tbsp salt for boiling, 1 tsp for sauce
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 3 small sweet peppers
  • 2 peppercorn grains or 1/4 tsp ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 2 tbsp vinegar
  • Cocktail toothpicks

Steps

  1. Image titled Cook Green Bananas Step 1
    1
    Cut the ends of the bananas.
  2. Image titled Cook Green Bananas Step 2
    2
    Make two cuts along the length of the banana, on opposite sides. The cut should only go as deep as the skin. Do not remove the skins.[1]
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  3. Image titled Cook Green Bananas Step 3
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    Place the bananas in boiling water and cover for 15 minutes.[2]
  4. Image titled Cook Green Bananas Step 4
    4
    Drain the water and peel the bananas.
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    5
    In the same pot, place 8 cups of water and 2 tbsp of salt and bring to a boil.
  6. Image titled Cook Green Bananas Step 6
    6
    Place the bananas in the boiling water and cover them.
  7. Image titled Cook Green Bananas Step 7
    7
    Boil gently for 10 minutes.[3]
  8. Image titled Cook Green Bananas Step 8
    8
    Add 1 cup of cold water and boil for another 5 minutes.
  9. Image titled Cook Green Bananas Step 9
    9
    Drain and let the bananas cool.
  10. Image titled Cook Green Bananas Step 10
    10
    Cut into one-inch slices and place them into a glass or porcelain container.[4]
  11. Image titled Cook Green Bananas Step 11
    11
    Place garlic, sweet peppers and peppercorns into a mortar and crush with a pestle. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, give them a few pulses in a food processor or blender.[5]
  12. Image titled Cook Green Bananas Step 12
    12
    Add olive oil, lime juice, vinegar and 1 tsp of salt. Mix well.
  13. Image titled Cook Green Bananas Step 13
    13
    Add the sauce to the green bananas and toss to mix well.[6]
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    14
    Serve promptly with cocktail toothpicks.[7]
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    Must they be eaten immediately? Can they be refrigerated?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    They should be eaten immediately.
  • Question
    How can I peel the bananas easier without boiling?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    The colder the plantain, the harder the peel is to get off. If you don't want to boil it, you can warm the plantain under hot water in the sink for a few minutes before peeling.
  • Question
    Can I dehydrate unripened bananas?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    No, because unripe bananas are already relatively dry, and since they are not edible at that point, you will find it difficult to rehydrate for cooking or eating,
  • Question
    Can I cook bananas without boiling them?
    Juan
    Juan
    Community Answer
    Unripe ones, yes. You can slice them very thin and fry them into banana chips. Ripe ones can be sliced diagonally (the longer the slice, the better) and fried, but that usually works best with ripe plantains, not bananas.
  • Question
    Can I buy frozen green bananas?
    Juan
    Juan
    Community Answer
    I have never seen frozen green bananas in any store, but I have seen frozen ripe plantains and bananas.
  • Question
    How can I print these instructions without the images?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Copy and paste the information into a Word document, then delete the images and print the file.
  • Question
    How can I clean the sticky residue on the pot after cooking?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    I would recommend letting it soak in some hot water for an hour or so before emptying it and sprinkling baking soda inside. (The baking soda will act as an abrasive to help remove the sticky residue.) After sprinkling the baking soda in the pot, scrub it with a sponge or brush.
  • Question
    Are these the same as non-plantain green cooking bananas? I ate these growing up but would make a potato + green bananas + beef + spices and make a stew. I can't find them anywhere in a US store?
    Juan
    Juan
    Community Answer
    Plantains and green bananas could both be used in such a recipe. Boiling makes them edible.
  • Question
    How do I stop my green banana from turning black when boiling?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    I assume you have not yet peeled them. This is normal. Just take the skin off. Boiling them for a few minutes makes it easy to do that.
  • Question
    Do I have to do steps 11, 12, 13 and 14?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    No, you don't have to do these steps.

Warnings

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Things You'll Need

  • Pots to boil water and bananas
  • Glass or porcelain bowl for serving
  • Mortar and pestle, food processor, or blender

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References

  1. ↑ https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/boiled-green-bananas-recipe-2011335
  2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS66RDfOLEU
  3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVl1COD646M
  4. ↑ https://www.whats4eats.com/vegetables/boiled-green-bananas-recipe
  5. ↑ https://hotcheapeasy.com/2014/01/04/guineitos-en-ajili-mojili-garlicky-green-bananas/
  6. ↑ https://hotcheapeasy.com/2014/01/04/guineitos-en-ajili-mojili-garlicky-green-bananas/
  7. ↑ https://hotcheapeasy.com/2014/01/04/guineitos-en-ajili-mojili-garlicky-green-bananas/
  8. https://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/stories/4-ways-use-green-bananas-wont-ripen

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 169,100 times.
134 votes - 83%
Co-authors: 8
Updated: May 6, 2021
Views: 169,100
Categories: Bananas
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