Fried Plantain
Fried Plantain | Rhymes with Mountain
The sweet kick that you never knew you needed from banana’s favourite cousin. A simple dish steeped heavily in nostalgia. Find it at breakfast paired with eggs or at lunch on top of rice next to your favourite protein.
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 2 paper towel sheets
- 1 fork or spatula
- 1 Large fry pan wider than 20 cm in diameter
- 1 medium plate or serving dish
Ingredients
- 1 ripe plantain (heavily spotted black and yellow) (150 g)
- 45 mL olive oil
Instructions
Preparation
- Line a medium plate with 2 sheets of paper towel.
- Using a knife, slice off the top and end of the plantain and scour lengthwise (it is ok if the flesh inside is partially pierced).
- Using the scour line as an anchor, remove the plantain peel.
- Slice the plantain into 1 cm slices on the bias. Some slices will be longer than others, this is desired.
Cooking
- Heat a large frypan to medium, then add olive oil (45 mL) heating the oil to pan temperature.
- Lay the plantain slices into the oil in one even layer.
- Shallow fry the plantain for 2-3 min until the colour is golden brown in appearance.
- Flip the plantain over and fry for 1-2 min until this side has achieved a golden brown colour.
- Evacuate the plantain onto the paper towel lined serving plate to blot away some of the frying oil.
- Serve immediately! Enjoy heartily!
Plantain, eggs, and toast – this was the go to breakfast when I needed something filling, quick to prepare, and effortlessly palatable at 6:00 am. The trick to excellent fried plantain is the waiting game with the natural ripening process with the produce. Similar to bananas, plantain is commercially picked green and is allowed to ripen slowly on grocery store shelves. When purchased, it is critical to allow the plantain to ripen far more than what is typical for bananas. I don’t mind if the outer skin is fully black, the inner fruit will be sweet, sumptuous and delectable when fried.