Every item on this page was chosen by The Pioneer Woman team. The site may earn a commission on some products. Plantains 101: Here’s Everything You Need to Know They’re so easy to make! Plantain chips are equally wonderful with just a simple sprinkle of salt or lime zest, cayenne, or chili powder.
Trust us, you can’t just eat one. From Meseidy Rivera of The Noshery. This ingredient shopping module is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content on their web site. Thinly slice plantains into chips with a mandoline. Soak in a bowl of salted cold water for 30 minutes. Working in batches, fry the chips, agitating them with a fork so they don’t sick together.
Fry for 30 to 45 seconds or until golden. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels, sprinkle with salt and granulated garlic. Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days before they start to get stale. You may have seen these before in the tropical fruit section of your grocery store. You know, where the pineapples and coconuts hang out?
At first glance, it looks like a banana. But when you pick it up, you realize it’s bigger, firmer and has a thick skin. It’s not a banana—it’s a plantain. I’m originally from Puerto Rico, so I’ve pretty much been eating plantains all my life. It’s one of the ingredients I’m asked about the most.
The plantain is a starchy cousin of the banana, and all that added starch means it almost always needs to be cooked before it can be eaten. Plantains hold a special place in my heart. In fact, as much as I’ve moved around in my adult life, I always joke and say I’ll live anywhere as long as I am within a 5-mile radius of plantains. Plantains can be found all over the Caribbean and Central America, but they were not always native to these areas.
Plantains are indigenous to the tropical regions of Southeast Asia. They made their way along trade routes to Africa and then were brought to the Caribbean by the Spanish and African slave traders. The plantain eventually became a staple ingredient in the Caribbean. Peeling a plantain is not like peeling a banana. You need a plantain and a paring knife.
First, cut the ends of the plantain. Score the skin, trying not to cut into the flesh itself. Again, try your best not to cut the plantain itself. Once you have pried off an entire section of the peel, you can pry the rest of the skin by lifting it and running your fingers under the skin.
The skin will come off in 4 whole pieces. Be patient your first time and try not to use your nails, because it can get nasty and it can hurt you under your nails. Trust me, I’ve made this rookie mistake. If you have trouble prying it with your fingers, just use the knife again. As a plantain ripens, its skin becomes leathery, so it’s still difficult to peel like a banana.
Although a ripe one is easier to peel than a green one, it’s still best to follow the same steps above. How do I know if a plantain is ripe? I’ve been talking about ripe plantains, but how do you know a plantain is ripe? Many people think a ripe plantain is a plantain that has gone bad, but that’s when they are their sweetest! A ripe plantain is best when it’s mostly black with a little yellow, and still slightly firm to the touch, like when you squeeze a peach. It’s usually hard to find ripe ones at the grocery store.