I grew up eating breadfruit. Boiled, fried or roasted. It’s a pretty common ingredient in the Caribbean. Either someone you know has a tree or you can easily find it at the local farmer’s market. It’s comforting and delicious, although technically I don’t think we consider it a fruit.
We call it “Pana” and we treat it like a plantain, a potato or a root vegetable. We use it in recipes the same way. Its flavor is very neutral and when cooked, its soft potato-like texture makes it super versatile in the kitchen. You can easily incorporate breadfruit in both dessert and savory dishes.
Breadfruit flan, for example, is very common in Puerto Rico, as well as breadfruit “pastelón”, a type of shepherd’s pie that uses mashed breadfruit instead of potatoes. It can also be fried as tostones or served boiled with salt and olive oil.
Breadfruit also happens to be good for you, which I didn’t know growing up. It provides a rich source of omega-3, helping to maintain healthy skin and contributing to brain growth. Breadfruit helps boost energy levels, is high in fiber, low calorie and full of vitamins and minerals.
For those of you who are not very familiar with this funky little fruit, I recommend trying the breadfruit tostones. They are simple to make and you can eat it with a variety of sauces, from a simple pico de gallo or refried beans to our delicious mango salsa. Check out our recipe up next and let us know what you think.
Breadfruit tostones with mango salsa
1 small breadfruit
Frying oil (organic canola)
1 mango
1 medium tomato
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1/3 cup minced onion
1 lemon
Olive oil
Salt
Garlic salt
To prepare the breadfruit for tostones, remove the core section of the fruit and the outer skin. Cut in slices of about ½ an inch and fry them in oil for about 3 minutes on each side or until it starts to golden. Remove from oil and place them on a paper towel.
Using a cutting board and a flat plate or cup, gently press the breadfruit pieces down to flatten them a bit. This is how you make tostones. Then, fry them again for a couple of minutes. Remove from oil and season with garlic salt.
For the salsa, chop the mango and the tomato in small cubes. Add the minced onion and chopped cilantro. Season the veggies with a pinch of salt, a few drops of olive oil and fresh lemon juice to taste. Voila! Summer in a bowl! Eat together and enjoy with a glass of cold sangria.
Note: This English post was written to give our English-speaking social media followers a taste of what Verdelicias stories are all about. Hope you enjoy it! Thank you for following!
We call it “Pana” and we treat it like a plantain, a potato or a root vegetable. We use it in recipes the same way. Its flavor is very neutral and when cooked, its soft potato-like texture makes it super versatile in the kitchen. You can easily incorporate breadfruit in both dessert and savory dishes.
Breadfruit flan, for example, is very common in Puerto Rico, as well as breadfruit “pastelón”, a type of shepherd’s pie that uses mashed breadfruit instead of potatoes. It can also be fried as tostones or served boiled with salt and olive oil.
Breadfruit also happens to be good for you, which I didn’t know growing up. It provides a rich source of omega-3, helping to maintain healthy skin and contributing to brain growth. Breadfruit helps boost energy levels, is high in fiber, low calorie and full of vitamins and minerals.
For those of you who are not very familiar with this funky little fruit, I recommend trying the breadfruit tostones. They are simple to make and you can eat it with a variety of sauces, from a simple pico de gallo or refried beans to our delicious mango salsa. Check out our recipe up next and let us know what you think.
Breadfruit tostones with mango salsa
1 small breadfruit
Frying oil (organic canola)
1 mango
1 medium tomato
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1/3 cup minced onion
1 lemon
Olive oil
Salt
Garlic salt
To prepare the breadfruit for tostones, remove the core section of the fruit and the outer skin. Cut in slices of about ½ an inch and fry them in oil for about 3 minutes on each side or until it starts to golden. Remove from oil and place them on a paper towel.
Using a cutting board and a flat plate or cup, gently press the breadfruit pieces down to flatten them a bit. This is how you make tostones. Then, fry them again for a couple of minutes. Remove from oil and season with garlic salt.
For the salsa, chop the mango and the tomato in small cubes. Add the minced onion and chopped cilantro. Season the veggies with a pinch of salt, a few drops of olive oil and fresh lemon juice to taste. Voila! Summer in a bowl! Eat together and enjoy with a glass of cold sangria.
Note: This English post was written to give our English-speaking social media followers a taste of what Verdelicias stories are all about. Hope you enjoy it! Thank you for following!
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