Jan 18: Fried Plantain

I've seen plantains in the supermarket, but never really knew how to tackle these overgrown bananas. I know green plantains are used like a potato in Latin/Caribbean cuisine and African cuisine.


A popular preparation is tostones which is twice cooked. Fried, flattened and fried again.

I sliced the plantain into 1/2" rounds. Sampling a piece, the flavor is reminiscent of the sweet "Cavendish" banana, but there is an starchy raw potato grittiness to the taste.


Pan-fried in 1/4" of oil... about 1/4 C of oil. Fry about 3 to 5 minutes per side.


After the first frying and ready for the flattening.


Use a spatula and press down.


A flattened slice of plantain.


Fried again to crisp up the flat pieces. I used the residual oil instead of adding more.


Finished and served with some chicken Mole and brown rice.
Mole is a Mexican version of curry... where seeds, spices, chocolate and chiles are used to make the sauce. Also, like curry, families and regions have their own version of this sauce.


Well... I cheated and used a premade canned preparation... Just add water or broth. I had broth from poaching the chicken.


Surprisingly, there was a little heat to the Mole sauce. The fried plantains provided a sweet balance to the Mole. My tostones may not be nicely crisp as I've had in restaurants, but they're weren't bad and easy to prepare.