Ecuadorian Fruits :D

Hola Amigos!

Fruits are one of the main parts of a healthy diet, but also just simply DELICIOUS. Well, if you want a good choice of fruits, head out to South-America. It's FRUIT HEAVEN! The fruits here are sweet, fresh, without travel pollution and cheap, what else do you want? Well, today for you, my fruit amigos, I will describe some typical fruits which you can find in Ecuador and other parts of South America. I will not talk about the easily recognisable ones like pineapple, mango, grapes etc, but about the ones I was super curious about. Fortunatelly, there are so many that I can't even describe all of them so you'll still have to go on an adventure yourself. Hopefully, however, this blog can help you to get through an Ecuadorian market a little bit easier than I did, if you happen to be at one sometime.

Maracuya (E: Passion fruit)

YES! Let’s start with my ultimate favorite; the maracuya. Even though it looks totally different from the purple small passion fruits we get in Europe, it tastes somewhat the same and is a lot bigger (so better! ;)). This one is yellow with sometimes a little bit of green, and feels quite hard on the outside. To find the best ones on the market, I always pick the biggest and heaviest ones! They usually contain the most seeds. To start eating, either cut it through the middle and eat both halves, or take the top side off and use the maracuya as a bowl and just scoop out the inside. Some people prefer to swallow everything without chewing, however, I like the texture of the seeds since it makes it a little bit crunchy so I prefer to chew on it.

Use: mostly used for juices since it’s a very sour fruit. But if you’re like my sisters and I, you’ll probably prefer to eat it like this!
Price: 5/6 for 1 dollar

Granadilla (E: Sweet passion fruit)

Another passion fruit, yay! It’s an orange fruit with some light brown speckles on it and can be found at most markets. While the maracuya is sour and has a pretty strong flavour, the granadilla is a lot sweeter and the texture is even more like spawn. It might look a bit disgusting at first, but the taste makes up for it. If you like both, but find the granadilla not strong enough (flavour wise) and the maracuya to sour, then do like I do sometimes and mix them together in one of the fruits to get a combination of the two flavours

Use: I think just for eating, and you can put it in some dishes too.
Price: 4/5 for 1 dollar

Taxo (E: Banana passion fruit)

Yes, there is another one for you, passion frutas lovers! Where the name comes from? Well, I think you can take a guess while looking at the picture. The fruits are usually yellow/orang and quite soft when you touch them. Even though I cut it differently in the picture, I think the best way to cut and eat it is longitudinally. The texture is a little bit more tough (and so are the seeds, better just swallow them) than that of the maracuya and granadilla, and therefore it’s also a little bit more difficult to eat, but the flavour resembles that of the maracuya the most. Again it’s quite sour and it has a tangy taste.

Use: it can be eaten raw (although that is rarely done), but it is mostly used for juices and ice-cream
Price: 5/6 for 1 dollar

Tomate de árbol (E: Tree tomato)

Tree tomato is a strange fruit of which I haven’t really figured out how to eat it yet, except for just drinking it as a juice with a lot of sugar. It’s a kind of red-orange fruit that is more oval-shaped than a tomato, but when you open it, you do realize why they call it tomato anyway. When you eat it fresh, the fruit tastes very sour and kind of like a mix between tomato and papaya. I wouldn’t recommend doing this. However, the fruit can be used for juices and desert when boiled and mixed with sugar. In that way it still is a flavour I’m not used to, but it tastes quite good.

Use: Juices/desserts/sauces
Price: 6-8 for 1 dollar

Lemons/limes/oranges

I still haven’t been able to figure out which one is which. While the oranges are quite clear and have a bit of a dirty orange-green look, there are also other oranges that again look different. The same in terms of lemons and limes. There are so many that I can’t even start describing them all. I recommend you just buy and try some to find out for yourself!

It’s BANANAs!

There are several types of bananas in Ecuador (what else would you expect in a tropical country) of which I will describe the most common ones:

Platana Verde (E: Green plantain)

This banana is HUGE and NOT to eat raw. It’s an unripe green plantain with no flavour but it has a great texture for cooking. They go crazy for it here and you can find it everywhere. You can try to prepare it yourself by cooking and baking it, or by making patacones (one of the favorite dishes here), but I recommend you to just go out on the streets and get some ready made, because it’s a lot easier.

Use: Many dishes, but not raw
Price: 8 for 1 dollar

Platano Maduro (E: Ripe plantain)

The ripe version of platana verde. Again it’s huge, but this time it has a yellow colour due to the ripening process. Now it’s a lot sweeter, but still not very good to eat raw. They are eaten grilled, from the oven, with cheese, fried and they taste very good. While this one is a bit easier to prepare yourself, I would still recommend to buy it on the streets (you can see people selling them outside from the grill while you walk on the streets), since they know how to prepare it the best.

Use: many dishes but again not raw
Price: 8 for 1 dollar

Orito (E: Baby banana)

Orito is a tiny banana (about 1/3rd of a normal one) and contains just as much, if not more, flavour but more concentrated. It’s full of sugar and delicious to eat and the best of all, they are super super cheap. I use them to cook banana bread, or I eat them raw. They contain a lot of sugar though so don’t eat too many or you’ll start bouncing all over the streets.

Use: raw! and I use it for banana bread
Price: depends, but usually a bunch (about 15-20) for 1 dollar

Platano Rosado (E: Red banana)

Platano rosado is a banana with a red/purple-ish skin. It's full of antioxidants, beta-carotene and vitamin C and therefore very healthy. Additionally, many more health benefits are attributed to it, although I always remain a bit sceptical. What I know for sure though, is that these bananas are so sweet and delicious. I have eaten the big ones (I heard there are also small ones) and even though it was a bit too much for me at one, since I'm not very fond of bananas, it was soooooo good. So I would really recommend you to eat one if you find them :)

Use: raw, just peal it like a normal banana
Price: Around 5-10 for one dollar

Mora (E: blackberries)

Blackberries in Ecuador are very different from the ones I’m used to in the Netherlands. The ones here are more sour and not very juicy, but they still taste good. They look basically the same, but are a little bit bigger and generally quite ‘expensive’ compared to other fruits.

Use: juices, ice-cream
Price: 2 dollars a pound

Next to these frutas, there are of course many others like mango, pineapple (piña), strawberries (fresas), apples (manzana), watermelons (sandia), grapes (uvas), coconut (coco), guanabana, dragon fruit (pitahaya), prickly pear (tuna), papaya and so on. Maybe I'll describe some of the smaller fruits (tamarindo, some kind of small mango and another thing) which are eaten raw as snacks on the street in one of my next blogs or vlogs so if you want to know about that, make sure to follow me!

I hope this blog helped you to get an idea of Ecuadorian fruits! At least I got to eat all of them while writing this haha. Have fun trying them out too if you get the opportunity!

Chao! Hannah

- this is a blog adjusted from my personal website https://hannahchanstravels.wordpress.com/2017/09/25/ecuadorian-fruits/ -

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Travelling in Ecuador as a Vegan

As a vegan who loves travelling, you've probably heard that it's impossible to do it if you want to stay healthy. Well, I'm here to change that view and give you some tips for travelling as a vegan in Ecuador.

When I went to Ecuador, I was doubtful about whether I would manage to stay vegan. I had been vegan for a year, and while it was rather easy in the Netherlands, I always thought that I would never be able to keep being vegan while abroad. Nevertheless, I did it with the help of some tips/tricks.

1. Cook yourself
The easiest and best way (if you can use a kitchen) is cooking yourself. There are so many delicious recipes that contain some meat, but it's easy to substitute this meat for beans. Check out the arepas recipe on my page for example. Arepas are totally vegan, and if you combine them with vegetables and beans, very nutritious as well. The plantain recipe is also a very easy recipe for vegans which can be combined with all kinds of things. Basically, you can cook anything you were used to cooking at home as well, just check the ingredients.

2. Eating out? Ask for something specific.
This might sound strange, but it works better than asking "do you have something vegan?" or "can I have this without meat?". These questions often lead to misunderstandings, or even more questions. If you ask for rice with salad, or rice with beans or rice with beans and avocado, you will get it. Of course, in bigger or more international restaurants you might get away with asking for a dish without meat, but if you're at a bus station, or a smaller town or just local restaurants, ask for a specific thing.

3. Look for vegan restaurants
Nowadays many places have some vegan restaurants, or restaurants with vegan options. Especially in the bigger and more touristic places in Ecuador (Cuenca, Quito, Otavalo, Banos, at the coast) you might have a chance of finding vegan things. For a start, in Tena, where I stayed for 3 months, is a great vegan restaurant next to Cafe Tortuga (which also has some vegan options). It is owned by a wonderful cheff and she makes just great dishes! In Baños there is a restaurant called Healthy Food which you can't find on Google Maps, but it is near Ponche Suizo and they have many vegetarian and Vegan options. Also in Baños is Zumo, a great restaurant at which they offer all kinds of dishes, also vegan, and if you ask they might even be able to make some adjustments to the non vegan dishes. But since Ecuador is a popular travel destination, you can find many options nowadays at more international restaurants.

Food at Zumo Vegan Streetfood

Hopefully, this can encourage you and aid you in your vegan travels! Also in the rest of South America! Let me know if you have any more recommendations :)

Cheers,
Hannah

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Recipe: Vegan Arepas

Arepas are corn pancakes/bread that can be eaten in all kinds of ways. If I understood correctly, arepas are mostly eaten like a kind of sandwich in Colombia (so cut open the arepa and put stuffing inside), while in Ecuador I mostly got it as a kind of thick pancake with other things on top.

Since I am vegan I try to find food that fills me up and gets me through a day of walking and sightseeing. This arepas recipe is perfect for this; it is super easy, very filling, healthy and most importantly super delicious. Of course, you can adjust the recipe to your liking, but here is the recipe the way I like it:

Ingredients for one/two people:

Arepas:

1 cup arepa flour (in the Netherlands I can only find P.A.N. but other brands are masarepa and harina blanca. Just look for 'pre-cooked corn flour' and if you're in a Spanish speaking country just say 'harina para arepas?' which means 'flour for arepas?' and they will help you.
1 1/4 cup warm-hot water
Pinch of salt
One Tbsp vegetable oil (sunflower)
Optional: other ingredients to add to the bread (I often add garlic or onion (small pieces) or paprika powder)

On the side:

1 can brown beans or kidney beans (400gr)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 small can of corn
1 onion cut into small pieces
3 cloves of garlic cut into small pieces
2 diced tomatoes (optional)
1 avocado (optional)
One tablespoon paprika powder
Chili (optional)
Salt (optional)
Oil

1. Cut the ingredients that you want to mix with the arepa flour into small pieces.
2. Mix all the ingredients for the arepas.
3. Knead until you get a ball of dough.
4. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes.

1. Cook the onions in vegetable oil for about 3-5 minutes
2. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute
3. Now add the can of beans, corn and can of tomatoes (optional: chili & salt)
4. Turn to low heat and let it simmer

5. Now shape the arepa dough to 1cm thick pancakes. You can choose the size depending on what you prefer.
6. Bake the arepa in a good non-stick pan with enough oil and turn over when the bottom is golden-brown (you can also semi-fry them by adding a lot of oil and adding the arepa when the oil is hot)
7. Put the arepa on a plate, add the bean mix and add some fresh avocado and tomato pieces

ENJOY! :)

Ready In: 30 min.

Ingredients:

Arepa flour
Warm-hot water
Brown-/kidney beans
Can of corn
Can of diced tomatoes
2 fresh tomatoes (optional)
Avocado (optional)
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
Salt
Vegetable oil (preferably sunflower)

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Recipe: Green plantain breakfast/lunch/dinner

Plantains, or cooking bananas/green bananas, are everywhere in Ecuador! They can be recognised by their big size and if unripe, their green colour. The bananas are different from the 'normal' bananas you usually find in the supermarket. They have a higher amount of starch and less sugar and if I am correct, also contain vitamin B6, vitamin C and much potassium and sodium. When unripe, they are quite tasteless but when yellow, they become more sweet. For this recipe, we will use the unripe plantain which is also used for patacones, bolon de verde, empanadas de verde and chifles, dishes you can find throughout Ecuador. The recipe I will describe is very simple and can be made for breakfast (as an alternative for scrambled eggs for example) or for lunch/dinner in combination with veggies.

Ingredients (2p, lunch):

Plantain dish:
- 2 green plantains
- 1 onion
- 2 or 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp paprika powder (optional)
- vegetable oil
- salt & pepper to taste
- water

On the side:
- 1 avocado
- 2 tomatoes
- kidney/brown beans

1. Put enough water to boil for boiling the plantain.
2. To prepare the plantain you first need to rid it of it's peel. You can do this by cutting the corners down, and then peel of the rest of the peel. Or follow this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5XW4iRSMcI
3. Cut the plantain in 5 pieces and add to the boiling water. Let it boil for 30 minutes, or until you can quite easily put a fork in it.
4. In the mean time, cut the tomatoes into small pieces and cut the avocado into slices. Also cut the onion and the garlic into small pieces.
5. Bake the beans in a frying pan.
6. When the plantains are cooked, put them in a bowl and crush them with a fork until you only have small pieces (0.5-1 cm)
7. Heat up oil in a frying pan, when hot add the onion and bake for 5 minutes, then add the garlic for 1 minute and then add plantain, the cumin and paprika powder and bake until the plantain is golden-brown.
8. Add salt & peper to taste.
9. Put everything together on a plate and enjoy! :D

You can basically mix this plantain dish (without the side ingredients) with everything. You can add it to soup, or in wraps, or well just almost anything! :)

Ready In: 45 min.

Ingredients: