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Cayeye
Cayeye: Santa Marta breakfast mash of green bananas with butter, white cheese and hogao
Ask anyone from Santa Marta or Ciénaga what they ate growing up and cayeye will come up quickly. Unripe green bananas, the small cooking kind rather than plantains, are boiled and mashed with butter and grated salty cheese into a soft, slightly sticky purée, then topped with hogao, the tomato and spring onion sauce of Colombian kitchens. Breakfast is its moment, often with a fried egg or a slice of fried cheese and a strong black coffee, and it is filling enough to last until lunch. The cheese on the coast is queso costeño; a firm feta-style cheese works, and since both are usually set with animal rennet, look for a vegetarian microbial-rennet version. Mashing the bananas once they have cooled is the misstep to avoid, because they set into a gluey lump; mash them straight from the pot with a splash of the hot cooking water. Chef's tip: rub your hands with oil before peeling green bananas, as the sap stains skin and boards.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the mash
- 8 green (unripe) bananaspeeled and halved
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ⅜ oz butter
- 5 ½ oz queso costeño or firm feta-style cheesefinely grated; traditionally made with animal rennet; use a vegetarian (microbial-rennet) cheese
For the hogao
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 4 spring onionsfinely chopped
- 3 ripe tomatoesfinely chopped
- 1 garlic clovecrushed
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp salt
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put 8 green (unripe) bananas in a pot, cover with water, add 1 tsp salt and bring to the boil over a high heat.
Step 2: Simmer for 15–20 minutes, until a knife slides through the thickest piece without resistance.
18 minStep 3: Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry 4 spring onions for 3 minutes, until soft.
3 minStep 4: Add 3 ripe tomatoes, 1 garlic clove, ¼ tsp ground cumin and ½ tsp salt. Cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the tomato breaks down into a thick, glossy sauce.
9 minStep 5: Scoop out 150 ml of the banana cooking water, then drain the bananas and return them to the hot pot.
Step 6: Mash at once with 1 ⅜ oz butter and two thirds of 3 ⅔ oz queso costeño or firm feta-style cheese, adding the reserved water a little at a time, until soft and spoonable.
Step 7: Spoon onto plates, top with the hogao and scatter over the rest of the 1 ⅝ oz queso costeño or firm feta-style cheese. Serve hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cayeye take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of spring onions?
- Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
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