Green Banana Porridge

A Jamaican tradition, Green Banana Porridge is made with firm, unripe bananas which are not-very-sweet. However, when incorporated with milk and spices, then simmered to piping perfection, the resulting porridge is deliciously warm, creamy, flavorful, and a very satisfying morning meal.  

This banana porridge is often eaten as a breakfast menu item on any day of the week, but if you are a porridge lover, you will have it anytime of the day as long as you can whip it up quickly. At home or on the road porridge features heavily on Jamaican breakfast menus. For some a bowl or mug of this sweet, warm, nutritious goodness with a couple slices of buttered hardough bread or a few crackers is all it takes to get through the morning. For others porridge is the starter (a likkle something to clear your stomach) before a hearty mid morning meal.

Green bananas are used by Caribbean cooks to make, porridge, chips or boiled with other foods.

They are usually eaten in combination with some animal protein like fish or meat. However, we also eat it with other "meat-kind" items such as vegetable stew. Grating them to make porridge is just another thing which you can do with them. Making this Jamaican favorite is just as easy as making most other porridge. The hardest part  is peeling and grating the green bananas. If you are not a fan of mutilated fingers or if you don’t own a grater a food processor makes a perfect substitute.

Try this Jamaican banana porridge recipe and see how easy it is to prepare and how tasty the end result is. 

INGREDIENTS 3 Green Bananas ¼ cup Milk (or Half and Half) ½ cup Sweetened Condensed Milk ¼ cup Flour 4 tbsp. Sugar 5 cups Water ¼ tsp. Nutmeg (ground) ¼ tsp. Cinnamon (ground) 3 drops Vanilla Flavouring Pinch Salt 

METHOD 1. Wash green bananas to remove dirt or any foreign matter. 2. Cut off the tips of each banana and make an incision along the whole length of the banana. 3. Slowly slide your thumb along the incision and remove the skin from the vegetable. 4. Chop the bananas into small pieces and place them into an electric blender. 5. Add the flour and ½ cup of water. Turn the blender selector to chop for about 2 minutes. 6. You have to try to make the banana and flour mixture process in the blender until it is smooth. 7. Bring 4 ½ cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. 8. Slowly add the mixture to the boiling water and stir the pot with a fork constantly for about 3 minutes, removing lumps if there are any. 9. Let the banana porridge simmer for about 15 minutes and then sweeten and flavor with the remaining ingredients. Do you see how simple and easy this Jamaican Banana Porridge Recipe is to follow? Now I hope you enjoy this porridge and that it will become a part of your regular breakfast menu. Enjoy!!