To continue on from last week’s pineapple skin tepache, this week’s recipe uses another beloved fruit skin — banana peels! The next time you’re about to throw your peels away, give this a try 🙂
Smoky Banana Peel “Bacon”
A smoky, umami, vegan bacon alternative, to be added to pancakes or enjoyed on their own!
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Wash the skins of the bananas.
- Cut the tops and bottoms off each banana, make a cut along the length of the banana, and remove the peel.
- Lay the peels flat on a chopping board and remove the remaining banana flesh from the skin using a tablespoon. The thinner you make them, the crispier they will be!
- Cut each peel into 4-6cm wide strips — they will shrink slightly after frying. Depending on the size of your bananas you might get 2-3 strips from each.
- Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a wide, shallow tray and add the banana peels. Leave to marinate for at least 20 minutes (or up to several hours in the fridge).
- Heat the oil in a wide pan on medium-high heat, till the oil is very hot but not smoking.
- Add the first batch of banana peels, wiping off excess marinade before adding to the pan. Flip over once they start caramelising and sizzling — this happens very quickly, so keep a close eye on them to make sure they don't burn!
- Transfer the peels onto a wire cooling rack. Once they cool down they’ll become crispy, chewy, and tasty! Add to your morning pancakes, sandwiches, or coconut ice cream 🙂