Platanos Fritos

[danceguy]

I know we don't have much in the way of food threads at DF, so let this be the first!

I have question for anyone here who has experience with making fried plantains - specifically the REAL ones, not your regular bananas.

I went out to a Cuban restaurant a while ago (for Salsa dancing of course) that had the most amazing fried plantains I have ever had. I tried frying some bananas on my own and they weren't even close...then I remembered, I had to get plantains...the big giant ones.

A quick Google search found a recipe, so I was all set!

Luckily my local grocery store carried the giant plantain bananas...so last night I bought a few (must have weighed a pound each) and fried them up.

Well, I learned quickly after reading a few more recipes that people weren't kidding when they said to wait until the plantains are fully ripe. The ones I had were very green and came out tasting HORRIBLE!

Yuck-a-mundo! :headwall:

So, if there is anyone here who knows how to make fried plantains and wouldn't mind giving me a few pointers, it would be much appreciated. I'm going to pick a few more up today and perhaps go to the local flea market to see if I can find some that are already ripe as I've seen them for sale there before.

Hopefully in a few more tries I'll make some that come out edible. :banana:

Best,

SG

[SDsalsaguy]

I know no recipe but, as with most of my cooking, just sort of play it by ear...

All I do is use ripe plantains, butter (or light oil), and brown sugar...

Haven't done this in a while, but mmm-mmm-good!

[Sagitta]

What SD says sounds right and the brown sugar really makes a difference, to me... :)

[danceguy]

Thanks for the tips guys. After an hour of googling I found that the ripeness of the plantain varies considerably depending on what you are trying to achieve. "Plantanos Maduros" means ripe plantains...so I think this is the key here for making mine like the ones I had tasted a few weeks ago.

Some people use them green and double fry them...getting the more starchy end product like I did. I found a thread on another forum about how to get them sweet like in the Cuban/Caribbean restaurants, and some people said that the plantains need to be very ripe, but not too ripe or they will be mushy.

Like SD suggested, other folks use sugar, but I also read that many don't. Hmm, I see this is going to be a trial and error process, but it ought to be fun! :P

Yikes...I'm fasting today so no food until about 7 pm. 4.5 hours to go...patience, patience... :?

SG

[Estella]

REAL potatoes you´ll find in Germany! 8)

[danceguy]

REAL potatoes you´ll find in Germany!

What about beer and chocolate? :)

[SDsalsaguy]

Umm, how did we get from plantains to potatoes, beer, and chocolate?

(Not that I mind any of the above mind you!)

[pygmalion]

More than ten years in a relationship with a West African (another place where they make fried plantains). So here are some tips:

You can make plantains lots of ways. The fried ones do not require sugar if they are ripe enough. Ripe means with dark brown or black spots on yellow peels, but still firmish to the touch. If the peels look greenish with brown spots, they are not ripe. They're bruised. If they're all yellow, they're not ripe enough. Must have yellow with brown spots. (If they're all black, the plantains are too ripe.) If you buy them at the store yellow, about four days at home not in the fridge should do it. Peel the plantains, then slice them in diagonal wedges. Fry them in an inch of HOT vegetable oil about 45 seconds to a minute on each side. And voila! Or go to pollo tropicale restaurant. Same dish. Nice and easy.

For a variation, make kele wele, a spicy dish. Marinate not quite as ripe plantains (think all yellow peel, very few brown spots) in water, a little vegetable oil, a couple teaspoons of ground ginger and about a teaspoon of ground red pepper. Marinate at least a couple hours, then quick fry as above. Slightly sweet, and very spicy. Yum.

The non-sweet recipes I guess you don't want. But you can make plantains mashed, boiled fried. You name it. And every stage of ripeness is okay, depending on the recipe.

[danceguy]

Thank you so much Pygmalion, this is exactly what I needed! I didn't have any idea what I was doing last night...so what I got was some starchy platanos...but they weren't too bad. :o

I remember going to a county fair a while back and there was an African man selling fried plantain...it was kind of mashed up but was pretty tasty as I recall. That Cuban place I went to...I wish I could get their recipe....mmm...yummy! :P

Now I have to wait until these I have ripen...I just bought 4 more...darn it...its gonna take a few days....faster....faster! :oops:

Watch out little banana man, you're coming over to SG's place for din-din! :banana: :twisted:

On that note...I went to an El Salvadorian place the other day that had really good Horchata. That's next on my list!

And all this from Salsa...life is good. :D

[salsachinita]

Ooooooohhhh, fooooood 8) ........!

Since we are talking salsa related foods, does anyone know this little favourite of mind call completo.....?

It's a Chilean hot dog with everything in it. We used to get it all the time at outdoor/community festivals, but not so much these days. That's why I make my own.

You begin with long hot dog buns (soft ones), spread them with mash avocado then add boiled skinless frankfurts. Then top with saukrut, salsa (made with chopped tomatoes, chilli, Spanish onions & cilantros etc.) and a nice, rich home-made mayonnaise......

Now try to eat it without making a mess...... :wink:

Yummmmmm.......

[pygmalion]

I don't know about completos, salsachinita. I can't stand avacado. *shiver* :lol:

For the plantains recipe, I should have said that sugar is not required, but you can certainly use it it you want. They get pretty darn sweet on their own, though. And slice them into wedges about 3/8 inch (1 cm) thick.

[Estella]

Umm, how did we get from plantains to potatoes, beer, and chocolate?

(Not that I mind any of the above mind you!)
:roll: :roll: :roll:
I thought you were talking about Pommes frites... which are potatoes... :roll: :lol:

[Estella]

REAL potatoes you´ll find in Germany!

What about beer and chocolate? :)
Beer yes.... chocolate is better in Swiss! :wink:

[Swing Kitten]

I can't stand avacado. *shiver* :lol:

I LOVE avacado!! mmmmm... great on sandwiches!

[Sagitta]

I can't stand avacado. *shiver* :lol:

I LOVE avacado!! mmmmm... great on sandwiches!

Mashed up avocado, with lime and sugar...Mmmm... :) I've had bowls of the stuff at one sitting. :D

[Neil]

I just go to Pollo Tropical and buy them at the drive through. That food tastes so much better than Mc Donald's, I don't know why Pollo Tropical hasn't taken over the world.

The green platanos are called "verde" or "tostones". They'er goo too, but you have to add salt and make them crispy.

I have an avocado tree i my backyard. They taste good with salt, but they are best in a California Roll sushi.

[pygmalion]

Yup. I drive through and get the red beans, yellow rice, and fried plantains. Yum. :D :D

[SDsalsaguy]

I just go to Pollo Tropical and buy them at the drive through. That food tastes so much better than Mc Donald's, I don't know why Pollo Tropical hasn't taken over the world.

I've never even heard of Pollo Tropical... :(

...sounds good though. :)

[pygmalion]

Wow. I didn't realize it, but it's a pretty small franchise. Small, but growing. Right now, there are restaurants only in Florida, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, and the Netherlands Antilles. *shrug* But, according to the business articles I just viewed on the web, the business is growing fast. It's good, fast, relatively authentic food -- grilled chicken, beans and rice are the primary dishes offered (along with several others). If you go on a Sunday afternoon, the place is full of Latin families. A dead giveaway that the food is the real thing, or close. 8)

[Neil]

There was a boom in the stocks of expanding restaurant chains on wall street in the early 1990's and Pollo Tropical got caught up in it. They went on a big expansion push and started opening locations in other cities, like Atlanta and Chicago. It turns out that Americans in those cities wouldn't go to Pollo Tropical. I can't figure it out. I hardly ever find a dinner I like anywhere for less than $25 per person, yet Pollo Tropical can do it for $5. Anyway, the new strategy is to open new locations in Latin America and it seems to be working for them.

[MapleLeaf Salsero]

REAL potatoes you´ll find in Germany! 8)

Hi Estella,

I was in Germany several years back (in Walldorf near Frankfurt). It was evening and I was starting to get hungry. Since I´m lazy, I decided to have dinner (supper for you Americans) at the hotel. After checking out the menu, I noticed a dish called "something I don´t remember" with blue potatoes. Yes "blue" potatoes. :shock: So I decided to try it out and yes indeed the potatoes were blue! :shock: The waitress explained that it had to do with the soil, some strange characteristic which made the potatoes blue. Actually, they didn´t taste bad, but I must admit it was kind of a shock to me. Is this your definition of REAL potatoes? :wink:

[danceguy]

Maple Leaf,

Haven't you ever had purple potatoes? They're quite a novelty item where I live...very expensive but don't seem to taste much different.

Give me a good Yukon Gold any day. :wink:

[MapleLeaf Salsero]

Maple Leaf,

Haven't you ever had purple potatoes? They're quite a novelty item where I live...very expensive but don't seem to taste much different.

Give me a good Yukon Gold any day. :wink:

Purple Potatoes, SG? Never heard of it. Does it have to do with the type of soil also?

Hmm... I´m starting to think potatoes that can come in all colours. You could probably simulate the rainbow spectrum with potatoes of different regions (infrared to ultraviolet). :wink:

[danceguy]

I'm not sure Maple Leaf...but as Potatoes are in the nightshade family (like Eggplants and Tomatoes)...usually purple is a sign of the slight bit of toxicity in the food...this is where all the myths about tomatoes being deadly came from in the middle ages.

Might have just been a strain that was bred...I'm not sure! But they are purple, inside and out! :P

[salsachinita]

Purple potatoes.....? No worries, got them here 8) . they DO taste about the same as the normal ones though.

Taro, a wild cousin of the potato, is also purple. Some people call them 'yams' (but the real yams I know off were pale gold like most potatoes......I thjink they are called 'cassavas' also?). I love taros :P ! Asian snacks are often made of them. Yummmmm.......

And sweet potatoes (kumaras).......yummmmm.........

[pygmalion]

Nope. Yam and cassava are two different things. Yam is like a huge, missshapen, very dry potato. Cassava has a gluey, gooey consistency, when cooked. Both are common in tropical climates, but they're not the same.

[Neil]

Nope. Yam and cassava are two different things. Yam is like a huge, missshapen, very dry potato. Cassava has a gluey, gooey consistency, when cooked. Both are common in tropical climates, but they're not the same.

Is "Cassava" English for "Yuca?"

[danceslave]

Lol..it's very weird but I'm Nigerian and that's one of many dishes that we do make..as far as i remember i've know how to make them and i don't think i've ever heard anyone asking for a recipe, so if you ask me..all i'd tell u was to buy some ripe plantains..they have to be yellow on the outside...you don't want them TOO ripe..well unless u do.. but u shouldn't have them mushy or brown.. you then peel and slice them up..u can make them rounds or not so round but with a diagonal slant to it..... they can't be too thick or too thin...
u get a frying pan with oil and make sure the oil is hot but not TOO hot...u put them in not TOO many at a time...and let them brown... u know this is a really hard recipe to write it's really easy to make if you get the hang of it..but it's also one of those that i think you have to be there to see kinda thing...

lol that said..good luck...if you have any more questions..i'll try to answer them tho!

[danceslave]

The green platanos are called "verde" or "tostones". They'er goo too, but you have to add salt and make them crispy.
.oooh i love some plantain crisp..i like them with the plaintains that are not quite ripe...not too green but not ripe either..for that salty sweet taste..ohhwee...and crunchy too

[Swing Kitten]

dinner (supper for you Americans)

I'm American and I have never called dinner supper-- except maybe in jest.

I think some older generations in rural parts of the country may still call dinner supper and lunch dinner... that's been my experience

let me know if this isn't accurate

[pygmalion]

It's not a matter of generation, I don't think. I think it's a matter of geography. I grew up in Philadelphia, where it was breakfast, lunch and dinner. When I moved sixty miles away to Allentown (not rural), it was breakfast, dinner, and supper. In South Carolina, where my parents live, it's breakfast, dinner and supper ... unless you're a transplant retiree! :lol: :lol: :wink:

[pygmalion]

And where I live now, it's mostly breakfast, lunch and dinner with the transplants and mostly breakfast, dinner and supper with the locals. *shrug*

[NeoDevin]

Here it's breakfast, lunch and supper (except for a few imports who say dinner)

[SDsalsaguy]

Growing up in Brookline (just on the edge of Boston) it was breakfast, lunch and supper/dinner (supper was more common, but dinner was used as well).

[salsachinita]

For us here, it's breakfast, lunch and dinner. "Supper" is something we have post-salsa in the wee hours in the morning, either in Chinatown or Little Italy 8) !

[Neil]

For us here, it's breakfast, lunch and dinner. "Supper" is something we have post-salsa in the wee hours in the morning, either in Chinatown or Little Italy 8) !

You call that "supper?" We would call that breakfast. We often go to IHOP.

I don't remember hearing anybody refer to the evening meal as supper since my grandmother when I was a kid in the early 1970's.

EDIT: For you foreigners, IHOP is the International House of Pancakes. It's a popular chain in the United States. They are open all night.

[NeoDevin]

Well you can come up here, we always call it supper...

[Swing Kitten]

:shock: wow... thanks everyone of expanding my world view!! ;)






-- I still call it dinner :D

[pygmalion]

Amazing, isn't it, how the little things are different from place to place? 8) :)

[Pacion]

Lol..it's very weird but I'm Nigerian and that's one of many dishes that we do make..as far as i remember i've know how to make them and i don't think i've ever heard anyone asking for a recipe, so if you ask me..all i'd tell u was to buy some ripe plantains..they have to be yellow on the outside...you don't want them TOO ripe..well unless u do.. but u shouldn't have them mushy or brown.. you then peel and slice them up..u can make them rounds or not so round but with a diagonal slant to it..... they can't be too thick or too thin...
u get a frying pan with oil and make sure the oil is hot but not TOO hot...u put them in not TOO many at a time...and let them brown... u know this is a really hard recipe to write it's really easy to make if you get the hang of it..but it's also one of those that i think you have to be there to see kinda thing...

This is funny, the descriptions of what constitutes a ripe plantain :lol: I used to make fried plantain in my youth :wink: and I remember the skin would be more brown than yellow. But, I think what Danceslave re the oil temperature is right, that the oil does need to be quite hot but not so hot that you have the blue haze. Also, from recollection, the oil should be about 0.5cms/0.5ins deep ie. not too deep but not to shallow either.

Also, as Pygmalion said, yam and cassava are two different things. Will see if I can find some photos thanks to my trusty friend, Google :wink:

Cassava is the most important tropical root crop. It?s starchy roots are a major source of dietary energy for more than 500 million people. It is known to be the highest producer of carbohydrates among staple crops. According to United Nations Food and Agriculture Orgaisation(FAO)´cassava ranks fourth of food crops in the developing countries after rice, maize and wheat. The leaves are relatively rich on protein and can be consumed. Cassava can be stored in the ground for several seasons, thereby serve as a reserve food when other crops fail. Cassava is also increasingly used for animal feed and in different industrial processes and products. A problem with cassava is the poisonous cyanides which have to be disarmed before consumption. Cassava is called "Manioc" in Francophone areas and Tapioca in Latin America. Portuguese name it "Mandioca" and Spanish "Yucca".

Plant and Cultivation
Cassava ( Monihot esculanta Crantz) originates from Latin America but was known already 1558 at River Zaire. Cassava was introduced in Asia during 17th century. Source (http://www.nutrition.uu.se/studentprojects/group97/cassava/cassava.htm) Photo (http://www.coleacp.org/fr/pesticides/tubercules/cassava1.html)
Yams - Native to: Africa, Asia, Tropical America
Use: Yams are eaten boiled, baked, fried as chips or fritters, grated and fried, and grated and steamed for bread and cakes. Because of their bland flavor they are rarely eaten alone, but are usually mixed with strongly-flavored, salty, fatty, or spicy foods. Yams should not be eaten raw, as they may contain calcium oxalate crystals. The crystals are contained in the peel and so are eliminated by peeling and cooking.

Yams are one of the most important food crops in the world: 25 million tons are produced annually. Domestication of the many species of yams seems to have occurred independently on each continent. In many parts of Africa and Asia yams are important in all aspects of the culture. In New Guinea and Melanesia yams are planted in ceremonial gardens. The yams, which can weigh over 100 pounds each, are used as gifts in ritualized exchange. In some cultures, only men are allowed to grow yams. Source (http://www.mobot.org/education/05actforkidsnfamilies/onlineactivites/tropicalfeast/feast/starches.html) Photo (http://www.mobot.org/education/05actforkidsnfamilies/onlineactivites/tropicalfeast/feast/jpegs/jyam.jpg)

Has anyone had breadfruit?

[pygmalion]

And sweet potato is not yam, at least not in most of the world. did I say that before?

I usually fry the plantains in about .5 to 1 inch of oil, depending on the thickness of the slices. And I prefer the diagonal slices. Not sure why, probably because that's how I've observed others making them -- Ghanaians, by the way. Right next door to Nigeria.

And oh yeah. Don't slice them too thin. Then, they burn easily.

[pygmalion]

The green platanos are called "verde" or "tostones". They'er goo too, but you have to add salt and make them crispy.
.oooh i love some plantain crisp..i like them with the plaintains that are not quite ripe...not too green but not ripe either..for that salty sweet taste..ohhwee...and crunchy too

Hmm. How did I miss all this? Plantain chips are sold here, especially in Latin neighborhoods, in a bag like potato chips (UK crisps). In Ghana, they do the homemade version of the same thing.

And yams come in several varieties, as best I can tell, based on geography. There are white ones, which have a slightly different texture than yellow ones. I like the yellow ones better. They have a firmer feel, they taste better and they last longer, in my experience.

[danceguy]

Yikes, this thread has gotten huge! Since then I've gotten quite good at making friend plantain. I don't use a lot of oil but I've found that the very ripe ones cook quickly...and taste so much better.

I think I'm hooked now...hopefully I'll learn to make them ever better eventually. :)

[Pacion]

I can see it now Scorpionguy :wink: A salsa social with a selection of fried plantain :lol:

When you do that, can you fedex me some :wink:

[pygmalion]

I'm glad, SG. When they're well made, they taste SO good. :D

[Pacion]

:cry: They are! I can see them now :cry: :cry: served with rice and chicken and a huge dullop of pepper sauce :oops: :bouncy:

[pygmalion]

Yum. That's it I'm going to Pollo Tropical for dinner. (No time to wait for the darn things to ripen LOL)

[Pacion]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: I guess patience isn't one of your strong points :wink: :lol:

[pygmalion]

Not when I'm hungry. LOL. :oops: :lol:

[Pacion]

:lol: Okay. Have a good dinner, and think about me when you are eating your plantain :cry:

I haven't had plantain in 500 years (don't want MapleLeaf calling me out for exaggerating again :wink: ) so might have to try and remedy that soon :banana:

[Pacion]

Hey Pygmalion! How was dinner? How was the plantain? Or are you still in a daze as a result? :wink: :lol:

[pygmalion]

Sorry I missed this yesterday. Totally yummy. Mmm.

Another observation. West Africans tend to eat plantains not as sweet. West Indians like them really sweet. So the definition of ripe varies quite a bit depending on personal taste.

[Pacion]

Sorry I missed this yesterday. Totally yummy. Mmm.

Yes, you were in "a daze", as I thought :wink:

Another observation. West Africans tend to eat plantains not as sweet. West Indians like them really sweet. So the definition of ripe varies quite a bit depending on personal taste.

I think WIs generally like them sweet because it used to be the case that we didn't eat much sugar. Yes, we like sweet things (not that we aren't sweet already :wink: ), but they tended to be natural sources of sweet/sugar (and of course condensed milk) rather than adding tablespoons of sugar.

I use the past tense because I haven't lived there for ages so the current generation might be doing something different to mine :oops: :lol:

[pygmalion]

A personal observation from the African American (probably more american than anything else) perspective. Naturally sweet tastes better to me, so let those plantains get reeeeally ripe. Then leave off the added sugar. Yum.