Green Banana Soup

January 12, 2012 | Filed Under Green Bananas, Green Plantain, Plantains, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways, Soups 

 

 

If I ever went to Ecuador, I know I’d have no problem with the cuisine and eat well there.  Lolita of Lolita’s Recipes post several recipes from Ecuador and over time, I’ve tried and enjoyed many of them.  Here is the latest – Green Banana Soup (Repe Lojano), a traditional soup from the province of Loja in Ecuador.  Basically it’s a creamy soup of green bananas, onions, garlic, milk, cheese and cilantro (cilantro!).   Instead of green bananas, green plantains may be substituted. 

In an earlier post, I mentioned that I mistakenly thought that green bananas and green plantains were the same.   I later learned I was wrong.   They’re definitely two different foods.  They taste slightly different and it takes a little longer for one of them to cook.

Depending on where you live, green plantains are more readily available than green bananas.  Luckily, I have no problem finding either in the supermarket. 

Lola includes tips in her post on how to peel green bananas or plantains.   They can be a little hard to peel. 

I made my repe lojan on Christmas Day and served it, as suggested, with avocado, cheese, and aji (an Ecuadorian hot sauce, which I love).  There was a little bit of soup left over and I think it tasted even better the next day.  Next time, instead of green bananas, I plan on trying the soup with green plantains.

According to Laylita, there are different variations of this soup.  Arvejas con guinea is a famous version and includes split peas.   Another version, repe mestizo, is made with potatoes. More variations to look forward to making.

Paz

 

 

Repe lojano  (green banana soup)

Laylita’s Recipes

 

Ingredients

  • 10 green bananas or 6 green plantains, peeled and diced
  • 2 tbs oil
  • 1 white onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 4 oz of cheese: quesillo, a fresh farmer’s type cheese – can also use queso fresco or mozzarella
  • ½ cup of milk or cream
  • 1 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped – about ½ cup already chopped
  • 8 cups of water
  • Salt to taste
  • Sides – Avocado slices, cheese slices and aji or hot sauce

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in large soup pot, make a refrito or base for the soup by adding the diced onion and crushed garlic, cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the 8 cups of water and bring to a boil.
  3. Add the diced green banana or green plantain in batches, making sure that the water is boiling when you add each batch – to keep the bananas from darkening
  4. Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until the bananas or plantains are soft, about 15-20 minutes. It will take longer for the plantains to cook than the bananas.
  5. In the same pot, gently mash some of the bananas pieces to help thicken the soup.
  6. Crumble the cheese and add it to the soup
  7. Stir in milk or cream, cilantro and salt
  8. Remove from the heat and serve with slices of avocado, cheese and aji or hot sauce.
Share and Enjoy:
  • Print
  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • email
  • FriendFeed
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace
  • Ping.fm
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
  • Twitter

Comments

4 Responses to “Green Banana Soup”

  1. Rosa
    on January 12th, 2012 at 1:28 pm

    Very interesting! That soup must be delicious.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  2. kat JAPAN
    on January 13th, 2012 at 1:17 am

    I’ve tried green papaya in a salad before but never green banana, this sounds delicious!

  3. Mari @ Mari's Cakes DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
    on January 16th, 2012 at 12:37 pm

    Ecuadorians make great soups. I had a neighbor when I used to live in Queens that cooked delicious soups all the time. I also love cilantro! Great soup, Paz!

  4. Paz UNITED STATES
    on January 16th, 2012 at 6:08 pm

    Hi Rosa: The soup was delicious!

    Hi Kat: I’ve never tasted green papaya before. Green banana only tastes good if it is cooked. Uncooked, it is raw and unpleasant tasting. Not like a yellow banana.

    Hi Mari: I can imagine all the delicious soups your neighbor used to make. Yum!

    Thanks for stopping by, everyone!

    Paz

Leave a Reply