Are you looking for a yummy quick & easy homemade snack? Satisfy your cravings with this fried plantains recipe. Fried ripe plantains are a delightful sweet snack with a soft center and crispy exterior. All it takes is a few minutes to prep and fry the plantains. Moreover, as for ingredients, you just need some oil for frying and nothing else.
1. How To Pick a Plantain To Fry?
Plantains are a staple in many Caribbean, Latin American, and African cuisines, and they are commonly used in fried plantain recipes. Here are some tips on how to pick a ripe plantain for fried plantains:
Look for color: A ripe plantain for frying should have a yellow or yellow-black skin. The skin should be mostly yellow with some black spots, which indicates that it is fully ripe and sweet.
Check the firmness: A ripe plantain for frying should be firm to the touch but not too hard or too soft. It should have some give when you press it, but not be mushy.
Smell it: A ripe plantain should have a sweet and slightly floral scent. If it has a strong smell, it may be overripe.
Avoid green plantains: Green plantains are not ripe enough for frying and will have a starchy and bland taste.
Avoid very ripe plantains: Plantains that are very ripe, with completely black skins, will be too sweet and soft for frying. They are better used in recipes like plantain bread or mashed plantains.
2. How To Cook Fried Plantains
Ingredients
- 1 Ripe Plantain (peeled and cut diagonally, with each piece being an inch thick.)
- Vegetable oil (for frying)
Instructions
Step 1: Begin by cutting off both ends of the plantain. Next, lightly cut through the inside arch of the plantain’s skin. Now, carefully peel off & discard the skin without breaking the plantain. Finally, slice the plantain diagonally with each piece being an inch thick.
Step 2: Pour the oil into a non-stick pan until it fills half an inch of the pan.
Step 3: Place the pan on the stove on high and wait for the oil to heat up. An easy way to confirm that the oil is hot enough for frying is to release a plantain piece in the oil. If tiny bubbles form around the edges of the plantain piece, it confirms that the oil is ready for frying.
Step 4: Put the plantain pieces one by one into the hot oil carefully. Make sure not to overlap the pieces. Cook for 90 seconds and adjust the heat to medium-high then flip the plantain pieces using tongs and cook the other side for 90 seconds.
Step 5: Flip the plantain pieces again, and cook for 10-15 seconds to achieve the perfect golden brown color. Finally, flip one last time, cook for 10-15 seconds, and take out the fried plantains on a serving dish.
This fried plantains recipe is so simple that you can prepare and enjoy it even during exhausting workdays.
Fried Plantains are a straightforward snack to make; you need to choose the right banana, use enough oil, and control the frying time appropriately. I hope you can successfully apply the Fried Plantains Recipe that I have mentioned above.
