Plantain / Cooking Banana

[Ellyn]

I know how to stew this in sweet coconut milk, and I'm learning how to caramelize it, and it must be easy to just fry it up in butter and serve it with some rice and egg...or boil it in syrup and serve it with milk...

But I wonder if there's anything else I can do with plantain, preferably not as a dessert?

 

[dandeliion]

You can fry them to make tostones. My parents are from Cuba so these and the sweet variety were made at least once a week.

Ingredients
2 cups water
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil
2 green plantains

Combine water, garlic and salt in medium size glass bowl and set aside.

In a large (12-inch) saute pan, heat oil to 325 degrees F. Peel plantains and slice crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Carefully add plantains to oil and fry until golden yellow in color, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side. (The oil should come halfway up the side of the plantain). With a spider or slotted spoon, remove the plantains from the pan and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, standing them on their ends. With the back of a wide, wooden spatula, press each piece of plantain down to half its original size. Then place the plantains in the water and let soak for 1 minute. Remove and pat dry with a tea towel to remove excess water.

Bring oil back up to 325 degrees F and return plantains to pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 4 minutes per side. Remove to a dish lined with paper towels, and sprinkle with salt, if desired. Serve immediately.

 

[Livvy]

That sounds rather delicious Dandeliion! I don't suppose you could provide us with the sweet variety as well, just for those of us with a bit of a sweet tooth?

 

[Ellyn]

You can fry them to make tostones. My parents are from Cuba so these and the sweet variety were made at least once a week.

That sounds rather delicious Dandeliion! I don't suppose you could provide us with the sweet variety as well, just for those of us with a bit of a sweet tooth?

Yes, thank you so much for this recipe! And I take back what I said about "preferably not as a dessert"--I'd like to know the sweet version of this, too. Do you just leave off the garlic and swap the salt for sugar or syrup? Or...?

 

[Livvy]

Yes, thank you so much for this recipe! And I take back what I said about "preferably not as a dessert"--I'd like to know the sweet version of this, too. Do you just leave off the garlic and swap the salt for sugar or syrup? Or...?

Even if it's just to try it out, it'd be amazing to have the sweet variation. I mean, we might end up hating it, but variety is the spice of life after all!

 

[dandeliion]

Platanos Maduros (sweet version)
-Two ripe plantains with black skin
-Cooking oil (preferably canola)

Add oil to a frying pan over medium heat until it is 1/4 inch deep. As the oil heats, cut the ends off of each plantain, and make a slice along the length of the skin. You should be able to easily remove the peel in one piece, unlike peeling a banana's skin one section at a time.

Slice the plantain into diagonal pieces anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Test the oil, it will be hot enough when a drop of water added to it sizzles/pops. Add the plantain slices, and fry until the bottoms are golden brown. Then turn the slices over, and continue to fry until both sides are golden. The edges of each slice should be slightly dark and caramelized.

 

[ChanellG]

I just slice them (ripe) and fry them though I have also tried baking them. I've known people who boil them, but the only way to avoid having them be too sweet is to use them before they ripen. They are okay as chips on the greener side, but they are delicious when softer and fully ripe, yum! One of my favorite things!

You can fry them to make tostones...

I love garlic and I usually prepare sweet "vegetables" (i.e. potatoes) in savory dishes with smoked paprika so I am going to have to try this!

 

[kamarsun1]

I know how to stew this in sweet coconut milk, and I'm learning how to caramelize it, and it must be easy to just fry it up in butter and serve it with some rice and egg...or boil it in syrup and serve it with milk...

But I wonder if there's anything else I can do with plantain, preferably not as a dessert?

You can fry them of course, other then that you can just eat the ripe yellow ones raw. You don't have to cook them to enjoy the taste, there sweet when there ripe.