The Ecuadorian green banana in a guide to strengthen the culinary identity of our country

Producers and exporters from the entire chain of the banana sector will meet for the first time at the International Banana Convention of Ecuador and the World, to be held at the Hilton Colón in Guayaquil, on September 23 and 24, 2022. Initiative organized by the Association Banana Exporters (Asoexpla), that seeks to generate new investments and strengthen this important productive sector that drives the country’s economy.

Just as it will be a great opportunity to establish important business relationships through a business conference called ‘Ecuador to the World’, with the participation of businessmen and investors from the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, in face-to-face and semi-face-to-face mode, it will also serve to know the latest advances in technological, scientific and commercial research, through lectures.

As a strategy, Asoexpla has also included the launch of the First Gourmet Banana Culinary Guide, focused on the international market. The objective is to encourage consumers to use green as an option in their daily diet, and to turn this fruit into a world icon, just like the banana. This guide has the support and advice of the Association of Chefs of Ecuador and with the participation of different internationally renowned chefs.

One of the chefs who helped shape this guide is Mauricio Armendáriz Carrasco from Quito. “What we wanted to do is present a new way of consuming the Ecuadorian green banana. Initially, the idea is to reach European and American markets, since little is known about the diversity of green banana applications. Hence, it is important to know how it is prepared, stored, preserved, etc. We have looked for a team of several chefs from different parts of the country where they have investigated what other alternatives can be generated, obviously thinking about the international market to be able to propose these applications and uses of green plantains”.

To shape this recipe book, we had the support of nine gastronomy professionals, including bakers, pastry chefs, specialists in nutrition and aesthetics, people who are involved in food for children, vegan cuisine. “The Anglo-Saxon market and the European market have a tendency to consume healthy foods. That is why we had to take into consideration certain preparations that are widely used in Latin America, such as fried foods or excess carbohydrates, which are not of much interest to these markets. Then, we had to carefully analyze what might be attractive and what advantages we might have over other products like the green banana”, highlights Armendáriz.

To choose the recipes of the First Gourmet Banana Culinary Guide Several proposals were selected. More than one hundred recipes were collected, of which 83 were chosen. “The selected ones were divided into several themes, perhaps seeking to capture the interest of those who were going to read the guide. For example, how to prepare a breakfast using green banana, which is not necessarily a bolón de verde -which is very tasty, highly appreciated- but other countries find it difficult to prepare this type of food. This product had to be adapted with an Ecuadorian flavor, but considering the limitations in terms of obtaining certain ingredients that are not available in the United States or Europe. The recipes are simple, they are friendly to the reader”, says the gastronomic consultant.

Apart from the recipes, the book also contains nutritional information for each preparation. “We also do not leave the vanguard and the information. Today the subject of health is very important, that is why we detail in each recipe we put a detail of its nutritional value so consumers can have a choice of how many calories, how many nutrients in each dish and more.”

Armendáriz is the founder of the Ecuadorian Chefs Association in 2001 -of which he is its current director- and is responsible for more than twenty publications with national and international awards on gastronomic and tourist issues. He has done his studies inside and outside of Ecuador. He has been a professor at several universities and has a restaurant in Esmeraldas.

“Perhaps in Ecuador the product has not been privileged as a tourist potential, rather, it has simply been done in favor of an establishment or to the recipe. That has been a problem. For example, when the work was done for UNESCO to recognize the cuisine in Portoviejo (Manabí) in 2019, it was precisely established that within that cultural knowledge was the use of green and other products that are the basis of Manabi cuisine. If you look at the history of viches, corviches or other dishes prepared with green plantain, this has been in the background. This also happens with fish, shrimp. For example, in the case of wrappers, no attention is paid to the achira leaf. In the Sierra, the mortiño is not given an important role. It is not understood that without this you cannot make a purple colada and without the green one you cannot make a mash, a bolón”.

While in Europe the culture of the product is being strengthened, says Armendáriz, in Latin America the image of a chef, a restaurant, a brand is being strengthened. “The purpose of this guide is to highlight the green plantain. This product will always remain, while a restaurant or a chef goes out of style, gastronomic trends go out of style. The shrimp will continue to be there, as will the blueberry, cocoa, black shell, Creole crab, among others. This is what needs to be encouraged. maybe too State policies have been lacking to chain these products -which are key to Ecuadorian gastronomy- as a flag for the export of the image of Ecuadorian gastronomy “.

Prescriptions

The culinary guide will be available free of charge from September 2022, on the Asoexpla website. Here are three recipes that emerge from the First Gourmet Banana Culinary Guide.

Corvina with green plantain crust

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 grated green banana
• 2 tbsp. chopped basil
• 2 tsp. thyme
• 2 tbsp. Parmesan
• 1 beaten egg white
• 4 sea bass fillets
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Mix the grated banana, basil, thyme, Parmesan cheese and the egg in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix and form a light dough. Reserve.
2. Season the sea bass fillets, cover them with the plantain and cheese mixture. Bake for 10 minutes at 180°C.
3. Serve accompanied by green salad.

Green tempura prawns

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 12 prawns, peeled and deveined
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• ¾ cup wheat flour
• 6 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 tbsp. of baking powder
• ½ tsp. Salt
• ¾ cup soda water
• 1 grated green banana
• oil for frying

Preparation:

1. Season the prawns and reserve.
2. In a large bowl mix all the ingredients for the tempura. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3. Pass the prawns through the tempura and fry them for 3 minutes at medium temperature.
4. Serve accompanied by sweet and sour sauce.

Chocolate chip cookies with orito and chocolate chips

Preparation time: 35 minutes

Servings: 36 cookies

Ingredients

• 125g unsalted butter
• 50g brown sugar
• 50g refined sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 10 ml vanilla essence
• 180 g pastry flour
• 30 g almond flour
• 5g baking powder
• 5 g powdered cloves
• 1g salt
• 150 g oritos in small pieces
• 200g chocolate chips

Preparation:

1. Sift the flour, almond flour, baking powder, cloves and salt.
2. Cream the butter with the refined and brown sugar.
3. Add the essence and the egg yolk.
4. Add all dry ingredients at once and mix well.
5. Let the dough rest in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 180°C.
7. Take the dough out of the refrigerator, form portions of approximately 50 g and put them on a tin.
8. Place a little chopped orito and chocolate chips on each dough.
9. Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes.