Friday, July 25, 2008

Fried Plantains

Fried plantains are an obligation at some Cuban restaurants. At least for me. They've always been a favorite, but for some reason I never attempted to make them until recently. They are very easy to make, and (to my delight) taste exactly as I remember them.

You need:
Plantain (the skin should be black. Not brown, not spotty...but black)
Vegetable or olive oil (just enough to cover the bottom of the skillet)

All you have to do is peel the plantain and slice it on a diagonal into wedges about an inch thick. Heat oil in a skillet until it's hot enough that water goes "PISHHHH!" when you flick it in there.
Lay your plantain slices in the oil and fry them until each side is dark brown. Then flip them and do the same. Reduce heat and let them caramelize for a minute or two.

Ta-Da! So easy! (Although I always set off my smoke detector any time I fry *anything*)


You can serve them with a little bit of honey if you want, but they are plenty sweet.

Two things I love about fried plantains:
1. You can use waaaay ripe plantains. Mine had been slightly neglected and the skin was starting to mold (the insides were OK) so the insides were like baby food...and they still came out perfect after frying.
2. Even if you burn a side to a cinder, they still taste good!

4 comments:

Edward said...

Man those look good!

Madeline said...

Great post! I had a Colombian friend make some for me a few years ago, but sadly she moved away and I've wanted some ever since. I'll definatly have to try your recipe!

Benjammin said...

Now you need some fried yuca :D

Anonymous said...

Love fried plantain, I want to make sure I have very ripe supply for my party on 7-26-09. Can I freeze the ripe ones in the peel and cook the day of after thawing? Cause if I wait and buy what's in the store there may only be green ones available...