Plantain-Green Chile Fritters

I have never cooked with plantain before, nor have I ever eaten them, to my knowledge.  By all accounts they are banana-ish, but much less sweet, and much more starchy.  So starchy, in fact, that they are used more like a potato than like a banana.  When I tried my first bit of plantain this evening, I would say that's all correct.

We went to our local Asian market the other day and brought home a smorgasbord of fresh produce (for an awesome price, by the way.  I love that place).  One thing we brought home was a plantain.  Just one.  Just a single, unassuming plantain.  I knew I wanted to try frying it.  I had seen Ingrid Hoffman ('Simply Delicioso') make what she called aranitas, which means little spiders, by using grated plantain, a little flour, and some seasoning.  I wanted to do something similar but bulk it up.  I decided to make plantain fritters. 

They came out delicious!  They were super simple, but the main thing is they were just super tasty.  I was so pleased, since I had never made anything like it before.  I served them with fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and some sour cream for dipping.  I am so excited about these plantain fritters that I am going to make them for my parents during our Super Bowl Fiesta (which I'll blog about later).

I just have to share the recipe with you guys.  If you haven't cooked plantain before, I highly recommend giving them a try!

Lairdriin's Plantain-Green Chile Fritters
2 large plantains, medium-ripe, grated
1/4 c onion, minced
1/4 c chopped mild green chiles
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground chipotle pepper (optional)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c flour
veggie oil for frying
cilantro
lime wedges

In a mixing bowl, stir together plantain, onion, green chiles, salt, black pepper, and chipotle pepper.  Gently stir in the beaten egg.  Sprinkle the flour over the bowl and gently stir it in, just until incorporated.

Heat 2 inches of oil in a pot over medium heat.  Do a test fritter; if the outside gets brown before the inside is cooked, lower the temp of the oil.  Drop fritter batter in small spoonfuls, bite size pieces, into the oil.  Do batches of 4-6 frittters at a time so as to not overcrowd the pot.  Let the fritters drain on paper towels and sprinkle them with a little salt while they are still warm. 

When serving, sprinkle fritters with fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges for squeezing.

Enjoy!

Happy eating!