Mashed green plantains with annatto, served here topped with scrambled eggs and shredded oaxaca cheese, is also good with sliced avocado, queso frito, or sausage.
This plantain breakfast, enjoyed by both the Brazilian and Peruvian Amazonian cultures, as well as the High Sierra Peruvians, is unique from the others I have tried in that it uses ground annatto seed, which is called achiote by the locals. Annotto has a very unique flavor. It has a flowery aroma with hints of mint, and though this sort of plays through in taste it’s really more earthy and perhaps a little nutty. It sticks to your tongue like ground chili, but lacks the spice completely, simply coming across as slightly peppery with a hint of bitter. It’s a really unique ingredient, but not necessarily hard to find at spice shops. The Yucatán people of Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala use it to make their citrusy Achiote Paste, which is a major player in their cuisine. More commonly, annotto is knows for its food coloring ability, namely for use in cheddar cheese, which is why this breakfast has such a beautiful golden color.
Mashed Green Plantains with Annatto
By: Semiserious Chefs
Serves: 3-4
Ground Annatto
Ingredients:
- 2 green plantains; peeled
- 1 T butter
- 1 small onion, finely minced
- 4 large cloves of garlic; finely minced
- 1/2 t ground annatto
- 1/2 t sea salt
- 1/2 t ground pepper
Directions:
- Slice the plantains into about 8 pieces each and boil in slightly salted water for 30 minutes.
- Add the butter and annatto to a large bowl and mash in with the plantains. Add a tablespoon of water as needed to get a smooth consistency.
- Incorporate the onions and garlic into the mix and add the salt and pepper to taste.
- Plate each dish with either a ball of the mashed plantain mixture or a flattened serving topped with additions such as fried or scrambled eggs, sliced avocado, queso frito, or breakfast sausages, bacon, or ham.
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