It’s a Delicious Pairing You’ll Just Can’t Wait to Try

Plantains are prepared in many ways and a classical dish, fried plantains are common in many cultures from African to Caribbean to those in the Latin American continent. These delicious tender morsels are so crunchy outside and their rich, sweet and savory taste makes them very versatile: they can be served as appetizers or snacks, side dishes, or main meals. As for them, a hot pepper sauce is the best match! Whether you are a first-time plantain cook or a professional cook, this recipe on fried plantains with spicy hot pepper sauce will guide you through a culinary delight.

Introduction

Reasons Why Fried Plantains Deserve a Special Place on Your Plate

What people may not know is that plantains resembles bananas but are a different kind of food altogether. While bananas are tender and sugary, plantains are starchy and slightly tougher until they become ripe – an ideal candidate for frying. There is however flexibility in cooking, because as the plantain ripe, they become sweeter but the texture of the fruits remain compact offering a different taste for every stage of ripeness.

It is even better that fried plantains can be served in different styles. Some eat them plain, while others eat them with a hot pepper sauce that complements the sweet taste of the measles. This preparation give you a good mix of sweet and spice on your palates that only makes it more tempting to take a bite.

So let me explain how you can prepare this dish and where it belongs – snack, garnish or main course.

Before we jump into the step-by-step process, here’s what you’ll need to gather:

• 2 to 3 ripe plantains (slightly blackened for sweeter flavor or yellow with black spots for a firmer, less sweet version)
• Vegetable oil (or any neutral oil for frying)
• Salt to taste

Ingredients for Hot Pepper Sauce:

• 3 to 4 fresh red chili peppers (habanero or scotch bonnet for extra heat)
• 2 medium tomatoes (chopped)
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 1 bell pepper (optional for mild sweetness)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 teaspoon ginger (grated)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (for sautéing)
• Salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon vinegar (for tanginess, optional)

Easiest Guide to Making Fried Plantains

Step 1: Preparing the Plantains

First, peel the plantains. To do this, trim it at both ends and with a knife, make an incision along length of the skin. However, be sure not to make an incision straight through the meat. After the skin is scored it should be easy to peel as it is in this creation process of the peanut brittle.

After peeling, cut the plantains diagonally into thick, 1/4-inch pieces. The diagonal cut increases exposure to heat on the outside portions and hence browning occurs all the way to the edge. It’s also possible to chop them into rounds in case you believe that the slices are too big for your children or you wish to have more pieces per cookie.

Step 2: Frying the Plantains

• In a big non-stick skillet or frying pan, pour enough vegetable oil to cover one-third of its thickness, and put it on the medium flame. You don’t want the oil smoking, yet you’d want it hot enough for frying, and usually around 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 Celsius) is suitable.
• Once the oil is hot, arrange the plantain slices in the pan such that they can be cooked uniformly at a time. Do not overcrowd the pan, if that’s the case, fry them in batches if necessary.
• You need to fry the plantains for approximately 2-3 minutes on one side or until they gain a gorgeous deep golden-brown color on each side.
• For this, once done, use a slotted spoon carefully to scoop them over a plate with a paper towel which helps in absorption of the excess oil.

How to prepare plantain: Heat until golden brown then lightly sprinkle with salt when they are still hot.

How To Make Hot Pepper Sauce (Safe and Easy Guides)

Preparing the hot pepper sauce can be done as your plantains fry or when your plantains are cooling down (but I will advice you finish with the frying of the plantain before preparing the pepper sauce so that you can concentrate). This sauce is one of the quickest, easiest, tastiest sauces that I have ever made.

Step 1: You Need To Blend the Ingredients

You can make use of a blender or a food processor(I called it choppers), to chop the chili peppers, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper if used, garlic and ginger. Mix with a fork until you have a rough paste. Do not worry if it is not very smooth because you want some textured sauce.

Step 2: Cooking the Sauce

• In the saucepan, heat one tablespoon of vegetable oil to the medium heat.
• Pour the mixture of the blended peppers into pan and stir occasionally. Bake for about 5-7 minutes depending on the rawness of your ingredients as well as the consistency of the sauce you intend to use.
• Sieve and season with salt to taste, add a tablespoon of vinegar to give it a little zing to it.
• Allow the sauce to simmer for the next three minutes then turn off the heat.

Tips for Perfect Fried Plantains and Hot Pepper Sauce

1. Choosing the Right Plantains: It is very important to have the plantains under-ripe as after the cooking process, it will determine how ripe it should be serving the purpose of the dish. For sweeter fried plantains, you have to choose the plantains that are slightly over ripe with black spots but still hard. If you want to achieve a less sweet taste of the banana in particular, to be used, it is recommended to use the yellow plantains with few black spots.
2. Oil Temperature: If the oil is very hot the plantains gets burnt on the outside but raw on the inside. Too cold, and they will act as sponges to blot up too much oil and turn soft and sodden. The problem of managing varying levels of heat is central to the story.
3. Spice Level: The spread of heat in your pepper sauce is determined by which type of chilies you use. The Scotch bonnet and habanero are incredibly hot and bring quite the heat. If you want to make it less hot you should use different type of peppers for instance Jalapeño, reduce on the quantity of hot peppers used in the recipe, use many tomatoes or bell peppers.
4. Serving Suggestions: Fried plantains with hot pepper sauce can be eaten independently, at the same time, fried plantains complement a meal of grilled chicken, fish or boiled foods like beans or others stews. To make it a little more interesting you could serve it with avocado or add some chopped fresh coriander or parsley on top.
5. Batch Frying: If you are planning to fry a large number of plantains then as soon as you’re through frying, you can put the fried plantains back into a pre-heated oven which has been switched off at 200°F (93°C), then wait for the remaining ones to fry. This way they remain crispy when you are ready to serve them to your guest, or rather customers.

Encouragement for Beginners

The plantain may make many people think that frying it will be difficult mostly when you are concerned with the crispiness that plantain should have when it is well fried or when you are making hot pepper sauce and you are not sure of the spice level it should be. But don’t worry! As with any cooking, it is all about technique here and plantains are remarkably easy to work with. Just like in your first few practices on the oven pay close attention when your first few slices are a little too dark or a sauce you prepared is spicier than you intended. It is easy to do and the result is delicious so I do recommend this dish to anybody.

The rule here is simple; it is still about cooking and therefore should be enjoyed while the flavor combinations play together like musicians. In case, you discovered that the sauce you preferred to be less sweet the next time, you can add honey or sugar. If you like things hot, add one or two more of the peppers. Home cooking to me is the opportunity to create your own signature when making a particular recipe.

Conclusion

Bringing It All Together

I do believe that everybody loves fried plantains, that’s why it is eaten in so many countries worldwide. They come in rather simple forms, though they are incredibly versatile, which means that they can be used in any meal. Combined with the fiery hot pepper sauce they represent the best marriage about sweet and spice that can be imagined. So with the tips and the steps outlined in this guide, you will be able to try the fried plantain recipes on your on.

So, why not give it a try? Whether you are preparing meals for your own consumption of preparing food to share with other family members, this dish will be a favorite. Happy cooking!