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These days, plantain chips—the mass-produced, evenly sliced, thoroughly crunchy ones—are everywhere. You can buy them at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, even Walmart. You can find them arranged between bags of Lay’s and Dorito’s in the vending machine in my office. They are the Lorde of snacks: They originated in the Southern Hemisphere, and now they are everywhere. All in all, the ubiquity of plantain chips is a coup for Musa × paradisiaca, the species to which many plantains and bananas belong. (Contrary to the emphatic belief of many plantain advocates, the distinction between bananas and plantains is mostly cultural, not genetic: Plantains are eaten cooked, bananas are eaten raw.) Starchy as potato chips, plantain chips are a pleasant introduction to plantains’ subtle but distinctively savory flavor.
But plantains can be so much more than crispy, salty snack food. The riper they get—like bananas, they continue to ripen after they’ve been picked—the moister, tenderer, and sweeter they are. They never become as sugary or creamy as bananas; they always retain a hint of that unique savoriness. But soft plantains can be caramelized in the delectable and memorable side dish called plátanos maduros, which literally just means “ripe plantains.” Even if you didn’t grow up eating plantains this way—or at all—there’s a decent chance you’ve had this dish in a Latin American or Caribbean restaurant. And, if you’re like me, you wondered, “How do they do that?”
The first answer part of the answer is this: They wait until the plantains are really, really ripe. Plantains, like bananas, start out very firm and ripe and slowly turn yellow and then brown. When you want to make plátanos maduros, you need to wait until they are fully brown. Wait even longer than you’d wait for bananas to overripen if you were making banana bread. There’s no shortcut to soft, sweet plantains—you have to let nature do most of the work. (Since plantains are rarely sold fully brown, this means you’ll need to buy yellow plantains on the early side and leave them in a paper bag for a few days.)
Plantains have a tougher skin than bananas, so you’ll have to take off the ends and make a lengthwise slit through the peel with a knife before you strip off the peel with your hands and slice the meat. If your plantain slices are mushy and blurred around the edges, good—that means they’re ripe enough. If they hold their shape easily and retain sharp edges, they’re too firm. (Firm plantains will end up chewy, starchy nuggets if cooked this way. They won’t be bad, exactly, but they won’t be plátanos maduros.)
The traditional cooking method for plátanos maduros is frying, but you’re not aiming to crisp them up the way you would with plantain chips. You want to brown them slowly over relatively low heat. I love coconut oil (which is solid at room temperature and is sold in jars) in this recipe, but peanut oil also works well. You’ll notice that I call for rolling the plantain slices in brown sugar before frying them. This is not a universal approach, but some cooks in Cuba and elsewhere prepare them this way to give them a more caramelized coating. You can omit the sugar if you don’t have a massive sweet tooth; the plantains themselves will be sweet enough to carry the dish by themselves. (To balance out their flavor, serve them with refried beans, good salsa, and a salty cheese like cotija.)
One last thing: Usually, when you fry things, you drain them on paper towels afterwards to remove excess oil. Do not do that here. The plantains will stick to the towels, and you’ll end up with tiny shreds of paper irrevocably adhered to your plantains, which is a serious bummer.
Sweet Fried Plantains
Yield: 3 to 4 servings
Time: About 20 minutes
3 medium overripe plantains (about 1½ pounds), cut into ¾-inch slices
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Salt
¾ cup coconut or peanut oil
1. Put the plantains and brown sugar in a medium bowl, and season with salt. Toss to coat the plantains evenly with the sugar.
2. Put the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the plantains and adjust the heat so the oil bubbles gently. Cook, turning once, until the plantains are fully tender and deeply browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain on a plate, and serve hot or warm.
A plantain to the untrained eye could easily be mistaken for a banana. It looks and smells like a banana, but if you ever bite into a raw plantain (plátano in Spanish), you’ll know it’s not.
Plantains are bigger than bananas, harder to peel (especially when green), and can not be eaten raw. They must be cooked for consumption. So, why are they so popular in Caribbean cuisine? Plantains are very versatile. They are always ready for cooking no matter what stage of ripeness - green, yellow or black, and plantains are used in different dishes from appetizers to desserts.
Stages of Ripeness
A plantain is a fruit, but considered a vegetable. When green, they are bland and starchy, much like a yucca root or potato. Medium ripe plantains are yellow or yellow dappled with black, and they are slightly sweet. When the skins have turned almost black, the plantains are fully ripe, aromatic and sweet.
How to Peel a Plantain
Peeling a plantain can be tricky. Ripe plantains peel easily, like a banana. Green plantains are very difficult to peel. Here’s how to peel a plantain:
Slice off the ends
Use a sharp knife to slit the skin from tip to tip.
Peel under cold running water to keep your hands from becoming stained.
Peel the skin sideways in one piece.
Place the peeled fruit in salted water to keep it from discoloring before cooking.
Buying Plantains
Plantains are widely available throughout the U.S. and can usually be found in the produce section of your local supermarket. At the grocery store, look for firm plantains. Avoid shriveled, squishy, or moldy fruit. You can ripen plantains by storing them at room temperature and out of direct sunlight. Turn them daily. It will take seven to ten days for green plantains to fully ripen. If you aren’t ready to use them when they’ve reach the desired stage of ripeness, you can peel and freeze them for up to three months.
I like to buy a bunch of plantains while they are green. This way, I can enjoy them over several days and at each delicious stage of ripeness. When still green, I prepare tostones or plantain chips seasoned with salt and pepper. They go well as a side dish with rice and beans. When fully ripened, I prepare the plantains by baking them in their skins at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 - 50 minutes and serve them seasoned with salt, pepper and a pat of butter.
Green Plantain Recipes
Tostones Step-by-step - Twice Fried Green Plantain Chips
Mofongo Stuffing - Green Plantain Turkey Stuffing
Arañitas - Shredded Green Plantain Fritters
Yellow Plantain Recipes
Cuban Fufu - Sweet Plantain Stuffing
Piononos - Cheese Filled Sweet Plantain Fritter
Sweet Fried Ripe Plantains
These jumbo cousins to the banana are good for you. Plantains are low in fat and sodium with no cholesterol. They're high in carbohydrates and are a great source of potassium, magnesium, fiber and vitamin C. A half-cup serving of cooked plantains contains about 80 calories.
Sweet Plantain Recipes Sweet Recipes In Urdu Indian With Milk In Hindi With Bread With Maida For Kids For Holi In Hindi For Diwali With Carrat
Sweet Plantain Recipes Sweet Recipes In Urdu Indian With Milk In Hindi With Bread With Maida For Kids For Holi In Hindi For Diwali With Carrat
Sweet Plantain Recipes Sweet Recipes In Urdu Indian With Milk In Hindi With Bread With Maida For Kids For Holi In Hindi For Diwali With Carrat
Sweet Plantain Recipes Sweet Recipes In Urdu Indian With Milk In Hindi With Bread With Maida For Kids For Holi In Hindi For Diwali With Carrat
Sweet Plantain Recipes Sweet Recipes In Urdu Indian With Milk In Hindi With Bread With Maida For Kids For Holi In Hindi For Diwali With Carrat
Sweet Plantain Recipes Sweet Recipes In Urdu Indian With Milk In Hindi With Bread With Maida For Kids For Holi In Hindi For Diwali With Carrat
Sweet Plantain Recipes Sweet Recipes In Urdu Indian With Milk In Hindi With Bread With Maida For Kids For Holi In Hindi For Diwali With Carrat
Sweet Plantain Recipes Sweet Recipes In Urdu Indian With Milk In Hindi With Bread With Maida For Kids For Holi In Hindi For Diwali With Carrat
Sweet Plantain Recipes Sweet Recipes In Urdu Indian With Milk In Hindi With Bread With Maida For Kids For Holi In Hindi For Diwali With Carrat
Sweet Plantain Recipes Sweet Recipes In Urdu Indian With Milk In Hindi With Bread With Maida For Kids For Holi In Hindi For Diwali With Carrat
Sweet Plantain Recipes Sweet Recipes In Urdu Indian With Milk In Hindi With Bread With Maida For Kids For Holi In Hindi For Diwali With Carrat
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