Name: Plantain chips
Or Banan frit in Haiti, Platanutres in Puerto Rico, Mariquitas in Cuba, Chifles in Guyana, Dodo or Ipekere (Yoruba tribe) in Nigeria, Missole in Cameroon, Tostones or plataninas in some of Central and South American countries!!!!!! ( Not to be confused with the double fried tostones from the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Puerto Rico and Venezuela (see Banan Pese post))
Eaten in: North, Central and South America, Caribbean countries, Africa
Foodie: Gen
I know there are plantain chips that can be purchased in supermarkets. They are usually good; however sometimes too salty and overly expensive when you really think about it. I personally have homemade plantain chips at lunch, tea time, whenever I have a craving or as a substitute to tasteless plane food. These very popular snacks or appetizers are eaten all around the globe and very easy to prepare. Making them yourselves therefore opens you to a big world of possibilities. Indeed, while green plantains work best for chips, all stages of ripeness can be tried in order to experience snacks of varying sweetness. Green plantain chips can be seasoned with hot chilli for the most adventurous of you while ripe plantain chips can be successfully dressed with cinnamon. Even tough any frying oil is adequate for the recipe, some Indian and Nigerian tribes have a way of using coconut and palm oil respectively in order to “liven up” their chips. As an alternative to fried snacks, low-calorie, oil-free and even salt-free plantain chips can be baked or microwaved provided that they are sliced very thin, with the aid of a mandolin slicer if possible. While the bananas are usually sliced along their short axis for plantain chips, plantain strips are a great variant to the recipe when the bananas are rather sliced thinly along their longitudinal axis. And if you want to treat your guests with an “out-of-the-ordinary” desert at a cocktail party, sweet plantain chips are a winner choice when served with sour cream or a mango dip. So please let your imagination carry you and enjoy!
Plantain chips
Print recipe
| Serves | 2 |
| Prep time | 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 30 minutes |
| Total time | 45 minutes |
| Meal type | Snack |
Ingredients
- 2 plantains at a chosen stage of ripeness
- salt
- Potential additional seasoning: freshly ground peppercorns, chilli powder, cinnamon when using ripe bananas
- Frying oil
Directions
| 1. | Remove the skin of the plantains |
| 2. | Slice the plantains thin to medium-thick (1 to 5 mm thick). |
| 3. | Pan fried in oil until golden brown or according to preference |
