island cassie

Never seen these locally but just a few have appeared and I assume that they are imported from (lets guess Puerto Rico) as the sticker on them says "Don Calin - platano hawaiano". Nothing grown here has a sticker so lets hope that this is not another evil result of DRCAFTA that we are suffering from so much.

Lagniappe

Mambo Italiano??
Is this plantain a hua moa or similar?

I just read that Hua moa is synonymous with hawaiiano

john_ny

Duh, What is DRCAFTA? I would guess that it's some treaty that some people disagree with.

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John

island cassie

Pete - that is what I assumed it was. Even when ripe it is very bland and starchy - just interesting to see something different!

island cassie

John - DRCAFTA is a free trade agreement where the unsuspecting and nieve (sorry spelling) countries get screwed by the savvy sopohisticated ones and we here are on the receiving end of the bad stuff.

Lagniappe

I would love to have a few hands of it...er...or a ripening bunch in my yard.
We discussed this a while back, wouldn't it be neat for all of us to be able to buy fruits such as these at our local markets. (Sigh) I wish you would consider my lawn keeper proposal, I could sleep out with the dogs.

island cassie

Pete - I would happily post you stuff for free if it would ever get to you. So sorry mate! But you have access to stuff I can't get - so not all bad then!

bananimal

Hua Moa is called platano Hawaiano and is sold here in So Fla in Latin grocery stores. They have gotten the first fry at med heat to soften, then the smash and finally frozen and bagged. All you have to do is finish them off with the second, or final, fry at med high heat.

They are ok -- like frozen precooked sausage biscuits are ok. However, doing them from scratch at home is way better, and they have been reputed as producing the best tasting tostones in the world. The Saba is right up there with the HM's for tostones.

If I ever can get my HM to produce the big fruit that IC gets in the DR I will be happy.

B-mal

john_ny

Cassie- I don't know who you're talking about. From what I've seen lately, the U.S. of A isn't too savvy and sophisticated.

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John

island cassie

Dan - my saba is just waiting to ripen (been 4 months now) so I will let you know what I think - but I am so impressed by my tall orinoco for both tostones and ripe fruit - I can't tell you!! The dwarf is not nearly so tasty but much more convenient!!

John - the guys here don't ever seem to get a grip on what will be the best thing for the island -whether they can't be bothered or whether they are open to graft - who knows but so many opportunities just pass them by.

Bananimal - I wasn't very impressed by the Hua Moa but it was interesting to see it. Not good enough to buy again.

musaboru

When I saw the thumbnail, I thought it was a papaya! LOL

Rmplmnz

Plantano Hawaiino or Hua Moa are one of my favorites and the first banana plant I purchased from Going Bananas (when Bill Lessard owned the grove;based on his wife's recommendation). These truly are excellent bananas with many uses. Boiled green, the "best" tostones, pan fried ripe or eaten out of hand when fully ripe.

They are probably bland and starchy because they were picked way green.

Check the thread out:

Banana ID - Bananas.org

harveyc

Hey, I was excited when I saw them in NorCal last year also and posted about them at Maya Hawaiian Plantain.

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island cassie

Rmplmnz - this one had been picked way too early and I wanted to see what happened when it ripened - but it never did properly. So it wasn't at it's best when I cooked it. I was just so curious to see the different stages it went through - it's the only import I have ever seen! Always exciting to see something different in the store, as normally all they have are dc being sold singly by the finger (no-one buys bananas by the hand). Glad to hear they are excellent when treated properly.

Harvey - my other half just rolls his eyes when I get excited by bananas or other fruit, and start to jump up and down.

harveyc

LOL, I understand that! Actually, my wife just pretends to listen to me when I talk about bananas, I think. My son, on the other hand, may be coming around as he brought up a comment the other day "hey, dad, do you think that's the last leaf before the flag leaf??". Brought a big smile to my face!

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island cassie

Harvey - he is hooked for life now! Good job!

Rmplmnz

Thanks to Nicolas!

Check out what a South Florida Chef thinks of these bananas:

Hua Moas make the USA ark of food



Rare Hua Moa Banana-Plantain in the House
Posted on August 27, 2010 by the genuine kitchen| 3 Comments

A ripe Hua Moa (naked and mashed above) is custard-like. Michael and Hedy say it tastes like banana cream pie.
Perched on the food bar today is a stalk of Hua Moa, a rare banana-plantain cross brought to South Florida from the Pacific Islands in 1960 by William F. Whitman Jr., a self-taught horticulturist who became renowned for collecting rare tropical fruits from around the world and popularizing them in the United States. The sample is courtesy of Slow Food Miami’s Donna Reno and Noel Ramos, who hooked us up with Larry Siegel, a Brooklyn-born fruit tree grower in Davie, FL.
“I lived in Brazil for a while and liked exotic fruits,” he explains. “I started with lychee, cherimoyas, longans, avocados… They took a big hit during hurricanes Irene and Wilma. Coconut, papaya, and bananas always hang on!”
Siegel’s been at it since 1996, and his 35 acres are divided into rows that intermix the different tree varieties, alternating coconut, then banana, then coconut, etc. It’s a technique that benefits both, promoting good growth and taste.
Hua Moa was originally from southeast Asia but was carried to the South Pacific in canoes and rafts to the Marquesas Islands and then on to Hawaii. It’s now cultivated in South Dade by a handful of small growers like Siegel. It is the only place in the continental United States where they are found. Slow Food Miami is co-nominating the Hua Moa with Slow Food Hawaii for Slow Food USA’s Ark of Taste, a catalog of over 200 delicious foods in danger of extinction. Read more about the Hua Moa below, and the Ark of Taste here.
* This unusual plantain is a culinary favorite in Cuban, Caribbean and Central and South American communities
* Its name comes from the Polynesian word for “Chicken Egg” as the fruit is egg-shaped; it’s also called Hawaiiano
* The fruit can be eaten fresh or cooked, when the skin is either green (under ripe) or dark brown (ripe)
* Hua Moa has poor cold tolerance, and requires intensive care; it’s recommended only for planting with disease-free material in warm, protected sites free of Panama disease
* Hua Moa grows 10 to 12 ft. and is produced commercially on the east coast of Florida; the elongated melon-shaped fruits are 6 to 11 inches long and 3 inches or more in diameter
* The fruit is sour in taste, sometimes sweet, typically eaten baked with cinnamon and sugar, smashed and fried green (tostones,) or in meat soup (Colombian)
Information from Slow Food Hawaii’s Ken Love on Hawaiian bananas:
* Hawaiian bananas are all endangered and all more susceptible to disease than other bananas
* Most are critically endangered in Hawaii with many varieties having fewer than 600 stands left in the US
* A dozen or more types of bananas have been lost to disease and various critters. Its essential that we protect what’s left regardless of where it is grown now
Rare Hua Moa Banana-Plantain in the House | the genuine kitchen




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Oct. 26: Ark of Taste Dinner


Recipe: Hua Moa Tostones
Posted on October 1, 2010 by the genuine kitchen| Leave a comment
In Miami, we’re spoiled by tostones. They’re everywhere! So when we received our first samples of the rare Hua Moa plantain, and they were green, we immediately thought of frying them up.
These revelatory tostones, which you can now make at home with Michael’s original recipe below, are just the jumping-off point. Michael, Hedy, and Bradley have all been planning our menu for Slow Food Miami’s October 26 feast, er, event to celebrate Hua Moa’s nomination into the Ark of Taste. As the not-so-secret ingredient, it will appear in no less than 11 items! There is a heritage pig from Palmetto Creek Farms involved, and of course, Hedy has brought the funk in Hua Moa desserts. More details to come on Slow Food Miami’s website. For the record, we warned you tickets would move quickly!
Hua Moa Tostones
Yields 12 to 16 tostones
Step by step Flickr set here
I’ve had some good tostones, but never anything like this. What happens when the rare Hua Moa plantain hits hot oil is a thing of greatness. Crispy on the outside and creamy sweet on the inside. It elevates pedestrian tostones – which can be very good – to a whole new level. After testing a few different methods in the kitchen, here’s what we found to make the best. There are few ingredients, but not without specific steps to follow in order for these to come out just right.
Ingredient note: The skin of the unripe fruit is easy to remove with a quick blanch. Make one shallow slit lengthwise, just through the skin. Blanch the slit plantains in boiling water for about 1 minute or until the skin turns brown. Remove them and place in an ice bath. The skin will now be easy to peel and remove.
Hua Moa plantains are originally from southeast Asia and were carried to the South Pacific in canoes and rafts to the Marquesas Islands and then on to Hawaii. The fruit, an elongated, fat version of the common variety, grows about 6 to 11 inches in length and 3 inches or more in diameter, in bunches on 10 to 12 foot plants. It’s now cultivated by Larry Siegel in Davie, one of a handful of small growers in South Dade – the only place in the continental United States where they are found. Larry can ship his Hua Moas directly to any customers in the U.S. via his website or by phone (954.297.6677.) Also some of the Cuban fruit stands in Miami occasionally carry Hua Moas which are known to them as Platanos Hawayano. Try Palacio de los Jugos, but call first (305.264.4557.)
4 unripe (green) Hua Moa plantains, peeled and sliced into 1 ½ inch rounds
Vegetable oil for frying
Kosher salt for seasoning
Heat 4 inches of oil to 350 ºF in a countertop electric fryer or deep pot. If you don’t have a deep-fry thermometer, a good way to test if the oil is hot enough is to stick the end of a wooden spoon or chopstick in it. If bubbles circle around the end, then you’re good to go.
Fry plantain rounds all together for about 1½ minutes or just before they start to turn golden. Remove from the fryer with a slotted spoon and transfer to an aluminum bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rounds sit for 5 minutes. Leave the oil at temperature on the stovetop.
Place one round at a time, cut side up, on the center of a lightly-oiled wooden cutting board. Using both hands on each side, take another small oiled board or flat surface and press down evenly to flatten the disc to ½ inch thick. Carefully lift the board. The plantain disc will now be about 3 to 4 inches in diameter. To remove, carefully slide a chef knife under the disc to transfer to a plate. Repeat, layering with squares of parchment paper.
Fry the discs, this time in batches of 3 or 4, without crowding, for about 2 to 3 minutes more or until golden brown. With tongs transfer plantains as fried to paper towels to drain. Season generously with salt and serve immediately, straight up.
Recipe: Hua Moa Tostones | the genuine kitchen