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Plantains may look like bananas and smell like bananas, but as anyone who has ever tried eating one raw can tell you, they certainly don’t taste like bananas.

Known in Indonesia as pisang tanduk, the plantain is used in Asian and South America cooking, mainly as a vegetable and sometimes as a dessert, depending on its stage of ripeness.

Green plantains are difficult to peel and very starchy, similar to potatoes or yams. At this stage, they can be thinly sliced, fried and seasoned with a touch of salt and black pepper to eat as chips. They can also be baked and seasoned with dried chili powder to make delicious homemade wedges.

When it is medium-ripe, plantain skin is yellow with a few black dots. This is when it is perfect to be steamed or boiled and served as a side dish to replace rice or potatoes. When the skin has turned black, plantains develop a wonderfully sweet taste and fragrance. That’s when it can be used to make desserts.

Recently, I was invited to dinner by a South American friend who cooked a delicious plantain mash with butter, salt and black pepper. It inspired me to create my own version: a rustic baked plantain dish with melted cheddar cheese. It is the perfect side dish for a meal like pan-fried tenderloin beef and sauteed vegetables. It is easy to make and very delicious. Enjoy!

Rustic baked plantain mash with pan-fried beef tenderloin

The sweet and cheesy flavor of the baked plantain perfectly complements the aromatic and peppery beef. The carrots and sugar snap peas give a wonderful color and crunchy texture. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 whole or 450 grams medium-ripe plantain; 2 tablespoons melted butter; 150 grams grated cheddar cheese; black pepper to season.

For the beef: 4 pieces of 150-gram tenderloin beef fillets, salt to season and plenty of black pepper (around 2 tablespoons); 75 grams butter; 2 tablespoons olive oil.

For the vegetables: 250 grams baby carrots, washed and peeled; 200 grams sugar snap peas; 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

2. Peel the plantain and cut into 8 pieces. Mash roughly with a potato masher (do not mash too finely).

3. Season with black pepper and mix well with the melted butter.

4. Place the mixture into an oven-proof baking dish, sprinkle the grated cheese on top, put into the oven and cook for about 40 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden.

5. When the baked plantain is cooked, heat a frying pan for the steak and bring 1 liter of water to the boil in a large pot for the carrots.

6. Season the tenderloin beef with salt and plenty of black pepper. Add olive oil to the very hot frying pan and place the tenderloin and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side for medium well.

7. While the beef is cooking, add the carrots to the pot of boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the sugar snap peas and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the vegetables and mix well with extra virgin olive oil to give them shiny look and a bit of extra flavor.

8. Divide the plantain and vegetables into four portions and place them onto four serving dishes. Place one piece of beef on each plate and serve.

Petty Elliott has been writing about food and giving cooking demonstrations for more than five years. Her book on Indonesian cuisine, “Papaya Flower,” was published in 2009.