Continuing our celebration of Fairtrade fortnight here’s a really easy and inventive recipe from the Fairtrade Everyday Cookbook that I thought had great student appeal.

The book contains the best recipes based on Fairtrade products that were submitted in a competition run by the Fairtrade Foundation. This one, which comes from Vanessa Hewitt of Manley, was rated ‘highly commended’.

Green Banana Curry

Serves 4
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
5 green (underripe) Fairtrade bananas, peeled
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, finely sliced
1 tbsp curry paste such as tikka
400ml (14 fl oz) can coconut milk
Salt and freshly ground Fairtrade black pepper
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander to garnish

Method
Slice the bananas into 2.5 cm (1 inch) slices
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and fry the banana slices in batches until lightly browned on each side.
Set the fried bananas aside on a plate lined with kitchen paper
Add the onion to the pan and cook it for 10 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally
Return the banana slices to the pan and stir in the curry paste
Add half the coconut milk and stir well. Cook for 10 minutes over a low heat then add the seasoning.
Pour in the remaining coconut milk and let the mixture simmer until it thickens and the bananas break down a little.
Garnish with coriander and serve immediately with cooked Fairtrade basmati rice.
Tip: You could also garnish this with wedges of Fairtrade lime

The paperback edition of the Fairtrade Everyday Cookbook has just been published at £14.99 (or £9.74 on Amazon) For a full list of Fairtrade products visit the Fairtade Foundation website www.fairtrade.org.uk

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