Plantains are such a versatile “vegetable-fruit”, and are used in a wide array of Caribbean dishes. Whether they are green (starchy, not-yet-ripened), yellow or black (fully ripe and sweet), plantains can be used in sweet or savoury dishes.

I usually see these “giant bananas” priced at about 99¢/lb. They can be hard to peel, especially when they’re not fully ripe (and you don’t really want to eat them raw). When you’re frying plantains this way it’s best to use them is when they’re yellow and firm (about a medium ripeness). Plantains become more soft and sweet as they ripen.

Plantain chips, also known as platanos, chifles, tajadas or tostones, are best served warm and will leave you craving for more.

Yield: 2 servings or about 40 chips

Ingredients:
2 plantains (greenish-yellow colour)
1 1/2 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
canola oil (enough to cover the surface of a frying pan)

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat (about 375°F).
2. Using a mortar and pestle grind together the sea salt and the garlic (or you can use the back of a spoon). Set aside.
3. Cut off the ends of the plantains. Using a paring knife, slice the skin of the plantain from top to bottom, being careful not to cut the plantain itself (going along the seam will help). Make a total of four even slices, and carefully pry the skin off one of the sections using the tip of the knife. You can use your hands to peel off the remaining sections. Cut each plantain into slices about 1/8″ thick. Feel free to cut them in diagonals if you like. (I used a mandolin slicer which made this a bit easier).
4. Place half of the sliced plantains into the frying pan (they should gradually come to the surface if the oil is at the right temperature). Be sure not to dump them in all at once or put too many inside the pan (this will lower the temperature of the oil and affect the cooking). Fry the plantains for about 4-6 minutes, flipping occasionally, until golden-brown.
5. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate or tray. Sprinkle with the prepared garlic-salt while they’re still a bit oily and hot, coating evenly. Repeat the process for the remaining slices.

Tags: Caribbean, Chips, Plantain, Recipe

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 6th, 2009 at 10:05 pm and is filed under Food, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.