Cook Plantains

Plantains are closely related to bananas and, in essence, are of similar taste and firmer texture. They are usually cooked. Cooked plantains are found in various cuisines, including African, Mexican, Asian, and tropical cuisines. Here are a few basic instructions on how to prepare simple cooked plantain dishes.

Ingredients

Makes 2 to 4 servings

Method One: Pan-Fried Plantains

  • 2 ripe plantains
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) oil or butter
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) ground cinnamon (optional)
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract (optional)
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) brown sugar (optional)

Method Two: Oven-Baked Plantains

  • 2 ripe plantains
  • Sweetened condensed milk, honey, or brown sugar (optional)

Method Three: Grilled Plantains

  • 2 ripe plantains
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) unsalted butter (optional)
  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) brown sugar (optional)
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) apple cider vinegar (optional)

Steps

Pan-Fried Plantains

  1. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the oil or butter to the skillet and heat over medium-low to medium heat. Give it a minute or two to heat up, but do not wait for it to start smoking.
    • Plantains have a high sugar content. As a result, they burn easily if they come into contact with extremely high heat.
    • Use butter if you want to create a richer, more dessert-like plantain dish.
    • Use oil if you plan to serve the plantains as a side dish. Olive oil, safflower oil, corn oil, and coconut oil are all good options.
  2. Peel and slice the plantains. Remove the skin and divide the plantains into slices or halves.
    • Ripe plantains are almost entirely black.
    • Use a paring knife to cut off the ends of the plantains. Make three shallow, lengthwise slits in the side of the skin. Peel the skin away starting from these slits.
    • Cut the plantains into 1/4-inch (6.35-mm) slices if you plan on frying them and serving them without additional seasonings or sweeteners.
    • For a more elegant presentation, split the plantains in half lengthwise, using a knife to divide them from top to bottom.
  3. Sauté the plantains until browned. Add the plantains to the skillet and fry for 2 minutes or until golden-brown on the bottom. Flip with a spatula and Sauté the other side for an additional 1 or 2 minutes.[1]
    • Arrange the plantains in a single layer inside the pan to ensure even browning.
    • Do not allow the plantains to blacken.
  4. Add the cinnamon, vanilla extract, and brown sugar, if desired. Stir the three ingredients together in a small bowl and spoon the mixture over the plantains. Continue cooking for an additional 30 seconds or so, just until the sugar begins to caramelize.[2]
    • For a simpler plantain dish, omit this step.
  5. Remove the plantains from the heat. Transfer sweetened plantains to a serving dish or drain the oil from non-sweetened plantains.
    • If you did not add sugar to the plantains and merely fried them in oil, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a plate covered with several layers of paper towel. Let them sit for a few minutes to allow the excess oil to soak into the paper towels.
    • If you did caramelize sugar over the plantains, draining them is not necessary. Use a normal serving spoon to transfer them directly to a serving platter.
  6. Serve hot. Fried plantains should be eaten immediately for the best flavor.
    • For sweetened plantains, you may drizzle an additional 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of melted butter over the plantains before serving them.
    • To use plantains as a side dish, consider serving unsweetened plantains over hot rice.

Oven-Baked Plantains

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (232 degrees Celsius). Take out a shallow baking sheet for the plantains.[3]
  2. Prepare the plantains. Plantains can be baked in or out of their peels.
    • Ripe plantains should be mostly black or yellow with spots of black on them.
    • To peel the plantains, cut off both ends of each plantain and make three shallow lengthwise slits in the skin. Peel the skin back starting from these slits.
    • Cut peeled plantains into 1/2-inch (1.27-cm) slices. Coat the baking sheet in nonstick cooking spray and arrange the slices in a single layer on the sheet. Coat the tops of the plantain slices with more cooking spray.
    • To bake plantains in their skins, wrap a sheet of aluminum foil around each plantain and arrange them in a single layer on an un-greased baking sheet.
  3. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Peeled and sliced plantains should turn golden-brown. Plantains inside their peels will become very soft.
    • If baking peeled and sliced plantains, flip the slices every 5 minutes or so with a flat spatula to ensure even browning.
  4. Serve with sweetened condensed milk, if desired. After the plantains finish baking, remove them from the oven and serve immediately.
    • If the plantains are still in their peels, use oven mitts to carefully remove the aluminum foil before making a shallow slit down the middle of each plantain with a sharp paring knife. Carefully open the peel and serve.
    • For a sweet, dessert-like touch, drizzle sweetened condensed milk or honey over the plantains to taste. You could also sprinkle brown sugar over the plantains while still hot.

Grilled Plantains

  1. Preheat the grill. Coat the grill grate with nonstick cooking spray and heat until moderately hot.
    • For gas grills, heat the grill to 550 degrees Fahrenheit (288 degrees Celsius). Close the lid and wait for 15 minutes before turning the heat down to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (232 degrees Celsius).[4]
    • For charcoal grills, spread an even layer of coals along the bottom of the grill and light. Wait for the flames to die down and a fine layer of ash to form over the tops of the coals before proceeding.
  2. Prepare a butter glaze, if desired. Whisk together the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the apple cider vinegar and stir.
    • Sherry vinegar can also be used in place of the apple cider vinegar.
    • Omit this step for a simpler plantain dish.
  3. Slit the plantains open and wrap in aluminum foil. Use a paring knife to make a shallow lengthwise slit in the middle of each unpeeled plantain.
    • The slit should run from top to bottom.
    • Individually wrap each plantain in a single layer of aluminum foil. Leave a small gap of space above the area where you made the slits.
  4. Cook for 15 minutes. Place the plantains on the grill slit-side down. Close the lid and cook for 15 minutes.
    • Baste and continue cooking. Flip the plantains over so that the slit-side faces up. Baste the exposed plantains with the butter glaze, if desired. Close the lid and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.
    • Finished plantains should be very soft.
  5. Serve the plantains immediately. Baste once more with the butter glaze before removing the plantains from the grill.
    • Carefully remove the aluminum foil from the plantains but serve them in their skins.



Things You'll Need

  • Skillet
  • Spatula
  • Serving platter
  • Small bowl
  • Whisk
  • Small saucepan
  • Baking sheet
  • Grill
  • Aluminum foil

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.patismexicantable.com/2009/07/three_ways_to_eat_ripe_plantains/
  2. ↑ http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/sweet-plantains-recipe/index.html
  3. ↑ http://www.food.com/recipe/oven-baked-sweet-plantains-80130
  4. ↑ http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Grilled-Ripe-Plantains-em-Platanos-Maduros-a-la-Parrilla-em-364830

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