This year I am dedicated to trying new foods! First on my list: PLANTAINS! I picked up two plantains a while back and they’ve been sitting on my counter forever so that they can get super black. I hear that is the best time to cook them. (major thanks to those who told me to take them out of the fridge in my “What’s In A Diva’s Fridge” video)
This was my first time tasting & cooking plantains so I talked to A LOT of people before attempting to try this recipe, if you can even call it a recipe. It’s so simple but I really didn’t want to screw these things up because I’ve been so excited about them.
After looking at tons of” how to cook plantain” videos and fried & baked plantains recipes, I really learned a lot about this amazing fruit. Here are a few plantain facts so you can say you learned something new today:
- Plantains are not bananas, although they are related to the banana they are not suitable to eat raw and must me cooked. (Yall know I would have tried to eat it raw had I not read this)
- Plantains are starchy and often used as a vegetable the same way we would use a potatoes. It is usually fried or baked. They are very popular in West Africa and Caribbean countries.
- A regular banana is ready to eat when the peel is yellow, however a plantain is considered ready to eat when the peel is black or almost black
- Plantains are a good source of potassium, vitamin A & C. They are also high in fiber and used as an energy booster!
So after talking the ears off of MsJaMayka (hey girl!!!) she gave me tons of tips on how to cook some good, authentic Jamaican fried plantains!!! I owe you one girl cause I was ready to throw these things in some batter first LOLLL!
They turned out so sweet, crisp on the outside & so delish …but I confess….after I ate a few of them I started getting curious…I tried some with powdered sugar (so freakin good) then I tried one with cinnamon-sugar (good as well) and then I just had to try it with some peanut butter (that was just ok but my toddler liked it) Next I think I will try baking them to see how they compare.
Overall I will definitely be cooking these again soon. I hear they go great with soups! They are such a easy and tasty snack. Thanks to everyone who gave me tips and advice on how to prepare the best plantains.
The Recipe
Fried Plantains
By Divas Can Cook
Recipe type: appetizer, side dish
Ingredients
- Plantains (The skin should be mottled with yellow & black)
- dash of salt
- Canola Oil or Coconut oil
Instructions
- Cut off the ends of the
- plantains
- Remove the skin by running a knife down the middle and peeling back the skin.
- Dice the plantains at a diagonal.
- Place them in a bowl and sprinkle on a few dashes of salt. Toss the plantains and let them sit while the oil heats.
- In a skillet (cast iron works best) heat your oil on medium high heat. Just enough to halfway cover the plantains is fine.
- When the oil is really hot, place the plantain in the oil in a single layer. *Mine started to stick to the bottom of the pan so you may want to move them around a bit when you first put them in the oil.*
- Let them cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Reduce the heat if they are cooking to fast or starting to burn.
- When done, drain on paper towels.
After reading about plantains I am definitely going try making them. Can you try with vanilla ice cream?
Just made it for the first time. Simple and easy. Tastes amazing. Thanks for the recipe.
I toohave been waiting to cok this for a long time . Your comments are very clear and helpful
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the smell of plantains cooking is one of my favorite childhood memories. I was born in Ghana then (Gold Coast) in 1948 and left after independence in 1957, so I was too young to have learned how to cook much, but just have some wonderful smells and tastes to go by. I have learned so much already from just reading this, and have a fairly black plantain waitning to be cooked so I am so glad I came across this.
Love plaintains! Cook in coconut oil for best flavor, they are a common side dish served in Latin America, the Islands, South Indian & Sri Lanka cuisines. Sweetest flavor when skins are fully black, will taste like sautéed sweet bananas but have a even more banana-y flavor. Unlike bananas, plantains need no sugar added when sautéed, they become carmalized & are very sweet all on their own.
Do not buy plaintains that have been refrigerated, they will never ripen to sweetness, but will remain very starchy & will not have the lovely banana flavor that ripened plaintains have.
Hi! I am not sure if you are still into fried plantain, but here in south america it is very common to put shredded cheese on top of them and let it melt a bit. If you can find white shredded cheese its much better, with cheddar or american I am not sure it will fit. It is really delicious and it gives the salty twist to the sweet taste of the plantain.
I’m from the Ivory Coast, West of Africa, and I grew up with fried plantains as my #1 obsession. In the country we call it Aloco. Like A Loco. And it’s best serve with hot chili on its side. You should try it. 🙂