Antigua: Fried Plantain
I didn't know plantains existed until a few years ago. I was in Camden Market with my partner and we saw the Maize Blaze, the Colombian street food vendor. My partner is Latino, but born in the UK, so has grown up eating South American food, and was excited to see that Maize Blaze had fried plantains available.
I didn't like them at first. I don't like bananas and plantains are basically bananas that you cook. They are starchier than normal bananas, and have a lower sugar content, and are not generally eaten raw because of their starch levels. However, as time went on, my palate changed and nowadays I definitely enjoy plantains. I still don't eat regular bananas though.
Plantain is grown across Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and in Asia as well. There are a huge variety of ways of preparing them, and no doubt they will appear in this project again further down the line.
Fried plantain is super easy. The hardest part is waiting until the plantain is ripe enough that the starches have converted to sugar. Once the skin is speckled black, you're good to go. Simply cut the plantain into thin slices and deep fry them. That's it! It's that easy. They're crispy on the outside and soft and sweet in the centre. Delicious.
Sadly I didn't take any photos of the plantain as I was too excited and just went straight in. I'll put one in later when I make them again - because I am positive that I will be making these over and over.
Fried Plantain
Serves 1
Ingredients
I didn't like them at first. I don't like bananas and plantains are basically bananas that you cook. They are starchier than normal bananas, and have a lower sugar content, and are not generally eaten raw because of their starch levels. However, as time went on, my palate changed and nowadays I definitely enjoy plantains. I still don't eat regular bananas though.
Plantain is grown across Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and in Asia as well. There are a huge variety of ways of preparing them, and no doubt they will appear in this project again further down the line.
Fried plantain is super easy. The hardest part is waiting until the plantain is ripe enough that the starches have converted to sugar. Once the skin is speckled black, you're good to go. Simply cut the plantain into thin slices and deep fry them. That's it! It's that easy. They're crispy on the outside and soft and sweet in the centre. Delicious.
Sadly I didn't take any photos of the plantain as I was too excited and just went straight in. I'll put one in later when I make them again - because I am positive that I will be making these over and over.
Fried Plantain
Serves 1
Ingredients
- 1 ripe plantain
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Use a knife to cut off each end of the plantain and then cut a slit down the long seam. Remove the skin.
- Cut the plantain into thin diagonal pieces and set aside.
- Heat 2-3cm of oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. In batches, once the oil is hot, fry the plantain, turning once. This will take about 2-3 minutes on either side.
- Remove the plantains with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
- Salt to taste, and serve hot.
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