Chicken And Coconut In Banana Leaves Recipes

CHICKEN & COCONUT IN BANANA LEAVES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Whisk together soy sauce, barbecue sauce, ginger and coconut milk.
• Place chicken drumsticks, thighs, plantain, and sweet potato in a bowl and pour over the marinade. Marinate 30 minutes.
• Gently warm the whole banana leaf over a fire or gas burner until the leaf is pliable but not burnt, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Cut the leaf into four large squares, measuring at least 30 x 30 cm. Carefully cut four long, thin strips from the rib of the leaf, these will be used as 'string' to tie the packets later.
• Place a piece of chicken onto each banana leaf square and evenly divide the vegetables on top. Pour in any remaining marinade and fold the leaves around the chicken like you are wrapping a present.
• Securely tie with the rib strips and place the packets onto a baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven until the chicken is tender and no longer pink in the center, about 1 hour. Check the packets occasionally to make sure they do not burn.

MOROCCAN-SPICED CHICKEN IN BANANA LEAF

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for medium heat.
• In a large bowl, mix together the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, olives, cardamon, garlic, carrots, bell pepper, onion, 1 tablespoon of the granulated garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of the cayenne and 1 teaspoon salt. Add to a cast-iron pan and put on the grill over direct heat. Bring to a rapid boil, close the lid and boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
• Toss the chicken pieces in a bowl with the olive oil, then add the ras el hanout, cumin, cinnamon, remaining 1 tablespoon granulated garlic, remaining 1/4 teaspoon cayenne and 1 teaspoon salt and mix until uniformly covered.
• Arrange the banana leaves on a baking sheet. Place 2 to 3 pieces of chicken on each leaf. With a slotted spoon or fork, cover the chicken with the sauce. Sprinkle a teaspoon each of the lemon zest and cilantro on top of each portion. Fold each banana leaf like an envelope and secure with cook's twine or toothpicks.
• Place the baking sheet with the banana envelopes on the grill over direct heat and cook until the chicken is cooked through but still juicy, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve immediately.

CURRIED CHICKEN STEAMED IN BANANA LEAVES

Steps:

• To make the sauce, heat the canola oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan and add the onion, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring, until the onion softens, about 3 minutes. Add the garam masala and turmeric and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the chilies and coconut milk, lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
• To make the chicken and vegetables, place the chicken breasts between sheets of wax paper and pound them lightly with the back of a small heavy skillet until they are slightly flattened and uniform in thickness. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and lay each half-breast in the center of a banana leaf. Place the diced potatoes and peas in a bowl, season lightly with salt and toss. Top each piece of chicken with 1/4 of the vegetables and pour 1/4 of the sauce over the vegetables. Fold the sides of the banana leaves over the chicken breasts, then fold the top and bottom in toward the center. Secure with toothpicks or tie a very thin strip of banana leaf around each bundle.
• Fill the bottom of a steamer with water almost to, but not touching, the rack and bring to a boil. Place the chicken bundles on the rack (you may have to make 2 layers) and steam, covered, until the chicken breasts are cooked through and the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. To eat, unwrap the leaves to expose the filling. (Do not eat the banana leaves.) Serve with rice on the side.

COCONUT STICKY RICE IN BANANA LEAVES (KHAO DOME)

Steps:

• Unless you've managed to find rinse-free sticky rice (I never have), you'll need to rinse and soak the rice beforehand. Start with the uncooked rice in a large bowl, and add several cups (no need to measure) of cold water. Shake and stir the rice around with your hands; you'll see the water turn white. Drain the water from the rice, and keep repeating this step until the water stops turning completely white. Finally, add water to the bowl to cover the rice and let it soak for at least 6 hours (overnight is best).
• If you have a rice cooker, use it to prepare the rice. If not, add the rice and 1 cup of water to a medium pot. Bring the water to a boil, then cover the pot and turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the rice cooked undisturbed for 20 minutes, then check to see if it is done. Cook longer if needed. When the rice is ready, set it aside to cool.
• In a large pot, combine the coconut milk (make sure to shake the can well before opening) and sugar. Mix over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce is combined and creamy.
• Add the cooled rice into the pot with the coconut milk mixture. Stir to combine, and continue to cook over medium-high heat until the mixture is the consistency of thick porridge. Remove from heat. You could serve this mixture by itself or with some mango as a dessert rather than continuing with the recipe -- we eat it this way from time to time.
• Peel the plantain and slice it into 8-10 rectangular pieces.
• Rinse the banana leaves and cut them down to around the size of a standard sheet of paper (8.5 in x 11 in).
• To make the khao dome, lay out a single banana leaf (sideways, or wider than it is tall). Plop a small dollop of the rice mixture in the center, then lay a slice of plantain on it, and add another dollop of rice on top of the plantain. Wet your fingers and use your hands to form the rice and plantain into a rectangle (taller than wide, opposite of the banana leaf). Now fold one side of the leaf over the rice, then fold the other side of the leaf back over the rice. Continue to wrap the leaf around the rice until you run out of leaf. Fold the top of the leaf down and the bottom of the leaf up; now you should have a nice little leaf package. You could tie it closed with some string, but I don't think it's necessary.
• You'll need a steaming basket for this step. You can easily pick one up at a local asian market for a few dollars; I think it's a great investment! Stack the khao dome in the steam basket and cover. Fit the basket over a large pot with 2-3 inches of water in it, and heat the water to boiling over high heat. Steam the khao dome for 40 minutes and then remove them from the basket to cool.
• Enjoy! These are great for on-the-go snacking, just peel the banana leaf back and use it to hold the rice.

CHICKEN WITH COCONUT CHUTNEY IN BANANA LEAVES

Steps:

• Make 3 slashes on both sides of each chicken breast.
• Then rub the papaya paste on the chicken breasts.
• Keep it aside for 20 minutes.
• In a blender, now puree the mint, corriander, garlic, green chillies, ginger, coconut, lime juice, coconut cream and cumin together.
• Add salt to taste.
• Cut each banana leaf into a 32cm X 32 cm square.
• Boil water in a large pan.
• Hold the banana leaf with tongs and dip each leaf{one at a time} in boiling water.
• Remove the leaf immediately from the water.
• Rinse it in a large bowl of cold water.
• Dry it with a paper towel.
• The leaves should be soft enough to fold.
• Place each chicken breast in the centre of 1 banana leaf.
• Spread the pureed coconut mixture over the top side of the chicken breast.
• Sprinkle the chopped lemon rind over it.
• Fold the opposite sides of the banana leaf over each chicken breast.
• Arrange the banana packets{seam side down} in a single layer in a steamer.
• Place the steamer over a pan of boiling water.
• Cover the steamer.
• Cook for 20 minutes or until the chicken is tender.
• Arrange the unopened banana leaf packets in a serving dish, leaving them to be opened by guests just before eating.
• Enjoy!

TAISI MOA (SAMOAN CHICKEN BAKED IN BANANA LEAVES)

Steps:

• In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, barbeque sauce (I used a Chinese one), ginger and coconut milk. Check the taste of the marinade adding more soy sauce, barbecue sauce or ginger to your taste.
• Place the chicken, plantain and sweet potato in a large bowl and pour over the marinade. Marinate for 30 minutes.
• Gently warm the banana leaf over a fire until the leaf is pliable (do not burn it), just 3 minutes. (Istead of banana leaf and baking sheet, you can use a baking mold with lid, it's not the same but it's better then nothing).
• Cut the leaf into four large squares from 30 x 30 cm.
• Place the chicken onto the banana leaf square and evenly divide the vegetables on top.
• Pour any remaining marinade and fold the leaves around the chicken.
• Tie the package and place them in a baking sheet (lined with baking paper).
• Bake in a previously pre-heated oven at 180°C until the chicken is tender and completely done (around 1 hour).
• Check the package occasionally to make sure they do not burn.