Chocao panameño

Ingredients

Plantain

• 6very ripe plantains
• the skins should be black

The pot

• 800 mlcoconut milk
• 300 mlwater
• 5cm fresh ginger, grated
• 2cinnamon sticks
• 150 gsugar, or to taste
• or 150 g panela, grated
• 1/2 teaspoonsalt
• 1 teaspoonvanilla

Sometimes added

• 4whole cloves
• a strip of lime peel
• grated nutmeg

To serve

• deep bowls
• a spoon
• grated coconut, optional

Directions

1. Keep them in a paper bag to speed it up. Never refrigerate an unripe plantain. Cut the ends off and split the skin. Peel it away with your fingers. Green plantain would need a knife.
2. Cut the peeled plantains into thick rounds. Aim for pieces about two centimetres thick. Put the coconut milk and water in a pan. Add all of the freshly grated ginger. Use plenty of ginger, since it defines the dish. Add the cinnamon sticks and any other spices.
3. Add the salt to the pan as well. Warm it gently over a low heat. Add the plantain rounds to the pan. Bring it to a very gentle simmer. Never let coconut milk boil hard.
4. Let it cook for about twenty-five minutes. Stir it well every few minutes. Press the pieces against the side of the pan. Break them down with the back of a spoon. It should not become a smooth puree. Add the sugar or grated panela. Stir until it dissolves completely.
5. Taste it before you add any more. It should be loose and pourable. Take it off looser than you want it. Add water or coconut milk if it is too thick. Finishing it is done off the heat.
6. Take the pan off the heat entirely. Stir the vanilla extract in now. Taste it and adjust the sugar and salt. The ginger should be clearly present.
7. Spoon it out into deep warm bowls. It is also good cold from the refrigerator. Scatter grated coconut over it if you like. It keeps three days refrigerated.

Technique

• Bocas del Toro on Panama’s Caribbean coast has a strong Afro-Caribbean culture in which coconut milk is used throughout the cooking.
• The dish is thickened only by the plantain itself, with no flour or starch added at all.
• The plantains must be black-skinned and soft, since underripe ones stay in hard lumps and give almost no sweetness.

Substitutions

• Panela or dark brown sugar in place of white sugar gives a deeper molasses flavour.
• Very ripe bananas can be used but break down far faster and give a looser result.

Variations

• Some households add cloves, nutmeg or lime peel.
• A version left chunkier with visible pieces is preferred by some.
• Similar plantain and coconut desserts are made along the Caribbean coast.

History

A Bocas del Toro dessert of the Caribbean coast, thickened only by the plantain itself.

Frequently asked questions

What is Chocao panameño?

Chocao panameño is a dessert from Panama: ripe plantain cooked in coconut milk with ginger into a loose porridge. A Bocas del Toro dessert of the Caribbean coast, thickened only by the plantain itself.

How long does Chocao panameño take to make?

Chocao panameño takes 15 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Chocao panameño?

Yes, within limits. Panela or dark brown sugar in place of white sugar gives a deeper molasses flavour. Very ripe bananas can be used but break down far faster and give a looser result.

What is the most important thing to get right in Chocao panameño?

Keep them in a paper bag to speed it up. Never refrigerate an unripe plantain. Cut the ends off and split the skin. Peel it away with your fingers. Green plantain would need a knife.