Plantains

[karadekoolaid]

They're inedible when they are green.

We use the green plantains for:

• soup, especially things like "sancocho"
• making plantain chips - sliced very thin then deep fried
• making "tostones" (or patacones) where you fry a thick slice, then squash it, then fry it again until crispy.

I agree - raw, they're inedible.

 

[JAS_OH1]

Same. Though it's different for plantains, which I am used to eating too. They're inedible when they are green.

Right, my SIL (originally from Puerto Rico) makes me fried plantains when I visit her in Texas. They aren't uncommon in Florida, either. The first time I ever ate them I was in my 20s and my boyfriend (a chef) boiled and mashed them with some potatoes and served them with broiled red snapper. Delicioius! Totally different from bananas. I have never eaten a raw plantain, though.

 

[Windigo]

Right, my SIL (originally from Puerto Rico) makes me fried plantains when I visit her in Texas. They aren't uncommon in Florida, either. The first time I ever ate them I was in my 20s and my boyfriend (a chef) boiled and mashed them with some potatoes and served them with broiled red snapper. Delicioius! Totally different from bananas. I have never eaten a raw plantain, though.

That's because you can't eat them raw, and you can't eat them green as far as I was taught. Apperently karadekoolaid has a different experience. Plantains delicious but definitely in another league then a regular banana. A plantain reacts more like a starch than a fruit.

 

[Windigo]

We use the green plantains for:

• soup, especially things like "sancocho"
• making plantain chips - sliced very thin then deep fried
• making "tostones" (or patacones) where you fry a thick slice, then squash it, then fry it again until crispy.

I agree - raw, they're inedible.

Really? I'm quite surprised.

From my Indonesian relatives I was always taught to never use the green ones. I tried, but they are quite bland I think. I guess it's possible when using them cooked, but it doesn't seem very nice to me.

 

[caseydog]

We use the green plantains for:

• soup, especially things like "sancocho"
• making plantain chips - sliced very thin then deep fried
• making "tostones" (or patacones) where you fry a thick slice, then squash it, then fry it again until crispy.

I agree - raw, they're inedible.

I make tostones on a regular basis. After the first fry, I use a large can of tomatoes to smash them. Works great.

CD

 

[caseydog]

Really? I'm quite surprised.

From my Indonesian relatives I was always taught to never use the green ones. I tried, but they are quite bland I think. I guess it's possible when using them cooked, but it doesn't seem very nice to me.

I prefer to use plantains that have a little bit of black on them, but not totally black. They are a little bit softer.

I don't know much about Indonesian cooking, but for Caribbean cooking, green plantains are used for dishes like mofongo and tostones.

CD

 

[blades]

Plantains are common fare around here. In Cuba we had a variety that had a red peel. They were the best but I've never found them in the U.S. The yellow plantains can be used green as mentioned above. My wife loves tostones and we do them from time to time. I prefer them "maduro" or ripe. When the peel has turn black they are ready. Just slice them and fry or saute therm. They are quite sweet while they are certainly not sweet when green.

Try the tostones. You may like them. cut them into rounds, fry them to soften them and then squash them to make them thinner and wider. Then they go back into the oil until they are done. Salt them like you would French fries and eat them like crackers.

 

[caseydog]

Try the tostones. You may like them. cut them into rounds, fry them to soften them and then squash them to make them thinner and wider. Then they go back into the oil until they are done. Salt them like you would French fries and eat them like crackers.

How big do you slice your plantains for the first cook? I cut mine about an inch. I cook them about halfway, then smash them with a heavy can and put them back in the fryer to crisp up.

CD

 

[karadekoolaid]

How big do you slice your plantains for the first cook?

That looks about right for me. When we make "tostones", it's an inch thick chunk, fried for a bit, smashed, then re-fried, and they look just like those in your photo.

 

[karadekoolaid]

From my Indonesian relatives I was always taught to never use the green ones. I tried, but they are quite bland I think.

You're right about not eating them raw. just bland and nasty.
However, if you slice them and fry them, they' re no longer raw. If you ever have a "bad stomach" in Venezuela, the recommendation would undoubtedly be " have some green plantain soup".
One of the most popular dishes in the poorest areas of Venezuela is a "Sancocho". That's basically water, a pile of vegetables - mostly root vegetables like yam, sweet potato, taro root, yucca, etc., - and some form of meat or fish. Plantains are always present.

 

[medtran49]

A local Cuban restaurant slices green plantains lengthwise thin like potato chips, fries, salts and serves with mojo to dip. Craig could eat the whole basket himself.

 

[karadekoolaid]

A local Cuban restaurant slices green plantains lengthwise thin like potato chips

They sell them like that in the streets here. Salt, nothing else.

 

[blades]

How big do you slice your plantains for the first cook? I cut mine about an inch. I cook them about halfway, then smash them with a heavy can and put them back in the fryer to crisp up.

View attachment 103325

CD

They look perfect.

 

[Windigo]

You're right about not eating them raw. just bland and nasty.
However, if you slice them and fry them, they' re no longer raw. If you ever have a "bad stomach" in Venezuela, the recommendation would undoubtedly be " have some green plantain soup".
One of the most popular dishes in the poorest areas of Venezuela is a "Sancocho". That's basically water, a pile of vegetables - mostly root vegetables like yam, sweet potato, taro root, yucca, etc., - and some form of meat or fish. Plantains are always present.

OK I didn't know about that, I know very little about South America in general. Just saying what I am used to is different.

I don't think I'd dare eat green plantain anything due to myself lacking a colon, given how fibrous they are. But I sure believe it when you say it's good.