How should i cook my plantains?

Question

my grandfather is from puerto rico and he just fries them up, i would like to try something different, any suggestions would be great!

Answer 1

Use plaintains in Pastelles. You can also use grated green bananas seasoned with salt and make little balls (like a meatball) and add it to the Puerto Rican rice and beans. You can also make plantain chips and tostones.

Answer 2

Oven Baked Sweet Plantains
Recipe #801307 ratings
MMMM! I love plantains, especially sweet ones. This is a lower fat method of making "maduros" without the use of oil and frying in a pan.
by Ang11002 Requires Premium MembershipMy Notes

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4 servings 20 min 5 min prep
Change to: servings US Metric
4 very ripe plantains (when the skin is yellow with spots of black they're perfect)
cooking spray

Not the one? See other Oven Baked Sweet Plantains Recipes
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Preheat oven to 450°F.
Coat a nonstick cookie sheet with cooking spray.
Cut the ends off of the plantains and peel.
Cut each plantain on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices.
Arrange in single layer and coat tops with cooking spray.
Bake, turning occasionally, for 10-15 minutes, until plantains are golden brown and very tender.

Answer 3

the common way in which persons of Kerala (South India) eat that is by technique of steaming an truly ripe plantain interior the floor. an truly problem-free breakfast nutrients and decrease in fat than frying Steamed Plantains Take ripe plantain and decrease ends off then decrease in 1/2 width sensible so that you've 2 or 3 products. Then make a slit lengthwise through one layer o pores and skin ( that is so even as the plantain is cooking that is going to provide room to boost) position over a double boiler or a steamer and cook dinner for 10-15 mts ( I have a plastiic one which you position water interior the decrease pan and the steamer basket is going over it w/a lid, use in microwave for 5 mts, were given it from a chinese food market) Peel the floor and right w/a touch sugar and a dab of butter----large! yet another problem-free snack is making a Plantain like a fritter mix all purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, black sesame seeds and make a skinny batter w/ water. Dip lengthy products of ripe plantain decrease lengthwise and deep fry till brown.

Answer 4

Green (underripe) plantains are extremely similar to potatoes, so Ill stick in a brief word about them here. Plantains, as I see it, are somewhere in-between potatoes and bananas in taste and texture. When theyre green, they are much more like potatoes, but as they ripen they resemble bananas more and more in taste and texture. My plantains ripened on me once, and I tried to cook them anyway; it was disgusting. Im sure there are recipes for ripe plantains, but I dont know of any, so my advice is to buy them green and cook them soon. Peeling a green plantain can be tough, as the skin doesnUt separate easily. Nonetheless, it must be done, and itUs worth it. Then cut the plantains into small chunks and cover them with water (they turn black if you dont.) Heat some oil in a pan. Add some black mustard seeds and cumin seeds, and when the seeds start popping add in the plantain chunks. Sprinkle them with some turmeric, salt, black pepper, and perhaps some cayenne. Fry them until crisp. Another way to cook plantains (_green_ plantains) is to deep-fry them like potato chips. Cut them into 1/4 inch slices, sprinkle them with cayenne and ginger (or nothing), and deep fry them until the outside is crisp but the inside is soft. Test-fry a few until you get the method right. Ive also heard of something called a potocan (sp?) or a toston (sp?), which is a plantain deep-fried whole, then mashed and deep-fried again, and then covered with meats, nuts, vegetables, whatever. However, I have yet to come across a vegetarian recipe (or any recipe, for that matter) for something to go on the toston.

Answer 5

Puerto Rico has one of the greatest plantain dishes known to mankind: Mofongo. There are as many variations as there are Puerto Rican chefs, and I'm not the kind of chef that measures out ingredients (save for when baking) - here are the basics, adapt to your tastes:

You want very green plantains, 3-4 of them and slice them about as thick as you would for fried plantains (about an inch, alternate diagonal slices like this /\/\/\/\/\/\/) Soak 'em in brine for about 10 minutes or so. Then fry them up as you usually would for fried plantains in olive oil, 15 min or so and pat them dry / cool them. You want about one clove of garlic per whole plantain, mince that up and very lightly sautee it in the oil after you remove the plantains. Traditionally you use pork rinds (sounds odd, but delicious), but you can also use crispy bacon, pancceta, etc... any salty crispy pork product. You then use a big ole mortar if you have one (I use a food processor) to LIGHTLY mash together the plantain, garlic, and pork rind / bacon / etc... mixture to a lumpy consistancy, form into small meatball sized balls and eat hot.

These are a very traditional and SUPER yummy dish. Highly recommended. Google mofongo for other variations.

Answer 6

Puerto Rican Beef Plantain Omelette Recipe
Ingredients
3 very ripe plantains
Oil for frying
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/2 pound ground beef
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 Tablespoon capers
1 Tablespoon sliced green olives (optional)
Salt and pepper
1/2 pound green beans, fresh or frozen, cut in 3-inch pieces
6 eggs
1/4 cup butter
Instructions
Peel the plantains, cut into 2-inch thick lengthwise slices, and fry in oil till golden brown. Remove, drain, and keep warm.
In a frying pan, saute the onion, green pepper, and garlic until soft but not brown. Add the ground beef and fry at high heat for 3 minutes. Pour in the tomato sauce and add the capers and olives, if desired. Cook 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Wash the string beans and steam till tender.
Beat the eggs, adding salt and pepper to taste. Butter the sides and bottom of a round casserole and melt the remaining butter in the bottom.
Pour in half of the beaten eggs and cook over medium heat for about 1 minute or until slightly set. Cover the eggs with one-third of the plantain slices, following with layers of half the ground meat and half the string beans. Add another layer of plantains, the remainder of the ground beef, another layer of beans, and top with plantains. Pour the rest of the beaten eggs over the top.
Cook over low heat for 15 minutes, uncovered, being careful not to let the omelette burn. Then place in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes to brown the top. Serve with rice and beans. Excellent for lunch.

Yield: 4 servings

Answer 7

Plantains are pretty versitile and can be treated almost like a potato as in the is recipe:
Smashed Garlic Plantains
salt
4 green plantains, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
4 cups beef stock or chicken stock
oil (for deep frying)
1/2 cup pork cracklings (chicharrones) or 4 slices thick bacon or 4 salt pork
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
fresh ground black pepper
chopped fresh cilantro leaves (to garnish)

Mofongo Mix handful of salt into a bowl of cold water and soak plantain chunks. Place stock in saucepan over low heat to warm. Bring at least 1 inch of oil to about 350 F degrees in a deep skillet.
Meanwhile, cook chicharrones or bacon until crisp; remove from heat and drain. Remove plantains from water, drain and dry them on towels, then deep fry the pieces (careful, they may spatter) until golden brown and tender. Remove from oil. Flatten the plantains using the bottom of a flat-bottomed glass bottle or a tostonera if you have one. Fry the plantains again for 30 seconds on each side until slightly crispy.
While the plantains are still hot use a wooden mortar and pestle to mash them with the garlic and the chicharrones. Add salt and pepper to taste.
You can also use a food processor – add the plantains to food processor with bacon, garlic and some salt and pepper. You may have to work in batches. Process to consistency of mashed — not whipped — potatoes. Do not over process!
Place the mixture in soup bowls or wooden pilons, douse with broth, garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.
----------------------------OR--------------------------------
Mashed Plantains with Rum
very ripe plantains (almost fully black), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon dark rum
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper


directions
In a medium saucepan, combine the plantains, butter, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Add enough water to just cover the plantains and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Cook until the plantains are very tender, 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the plantains to a medium bowl. Add the rum and lime juice and coarsely mash the plantains. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

for more just type Recipe+ Plantains in any search engine and you will find a variety of both savory and sweet options. Good Luck!

Answer 8

They are mostly eaten fried, (I'm from Puerto Rico) but you can do with a plantain anything you want you can boil them, roast them with meats, grind them into a doughy substance and add meat or fish and fry or bake.

Answer 9

Get ripe plantains (amarillos) peel and slice lengthwise about 1/4 inch thick. Use them as you would lasanga noodles to make what we call in P.R. a pastelon. Delicious!

Answer 10

They taste best when fried. Curried is another alternative
check out recipes at :
http://grabemsnacks.com/plantain-recipes.html
Enjoy , they are great.