recipe: fried plantains

[serenissima]

Fried plantains are very simple to prepare. The only part that might be at all tricky is the timing: when the plantain is of appropriate ripeness, as well as how long to cook it.

Select ripe plantains. At the supermarket, I've found they're usually a little underripe, like some other supermarket fruit. You can just leave them on the kitchen counter for a couple days. The way I've learned to prepare this dish, the fruit should not be green. It should be a muddy yellow color, with a slight fragrance, and give very slightly under gentle pressure.

Cut the fruit into slices approximately 1 cm thick. Exact thickness is not crucial, but it will affect the cooking speed. The flesh should appear opaque light yellow. I usually do the following:

1. Cut off both ends of the banana, but leave the peel on. It's easier to handle the pieces with the peel still on.
   
2. Cut the banana into three segments of about equal length.
   
3. Slice each segment lengthwise into three flat pieces of about equal thickness. Remember you won't be cooking the peel, so allow for that when you estimate "equal thickness."
   
4. Peel the slices.

I've seen fried plantains sliced on the diagonal, into oval-shaped coins. That's a fancier look, but I think it would involve more time spent peeling.

Pour enough oil in a frying pan to cover the bottom. Heat the oil. Fry the slices on medium-low heat. The bottom needs to turn partly brown -- you'll probably have to lift one to peek. When that side is cooked, turn them over and cook the other side. Ideally, they should turn out golden yellow with brown patches.

If the plantain is too ripe, it will (hopefully) be wonderfully sweet, but it will be too soft to manipulate easily. My uncle sometimes likes to wrap the slices in eggroll wrappers before frying, and then sprinkle them with sugar afterward. This might solve the problem of being too mushy to pick up.

On the other hand, if the plantain is not ripe enough, it will be dense and starchy rather than sweet. It can still be cooked. The effect will be more like potato. I have not tried this, but I've seen fried green plantains on the menu at Cuban restaurants, and I think some stews call for green plantains.

Comments

[breimh.livejournal.com]

*snugs* Thanks. I'll have to get some to try this out, now.

I like the idea of using rice/eggroll wraps for the mushier ones, too.

It sounds really good. :9