Yes, this is another post about green plantains. I wasn’t lying when I said there are many ways to prepare them. This method leaves you with beautiful plantain chips that can be eaten plain or with the dip of your choice. I made a nice Guava Chimichurri to go with these; just follow that link for that recipe.
Now for the business at hand, let’s make some plantain chips.
Preping the plantains – Give them a scrub under running water. Plantains have a milky sap that leaks once they’re harvested. I find that this sap attracts dust and debris, so take a sponge to them.
Once you’ve rinsed them, trim the ends and score the plaintain lengthwise following its ridges. You want to have about 4-5 lines going from top to bottom.
Trim both ends of the plantain.
Score the plantain top to bottom about 4-5 times
After scoring, soak them in water. I usually fill one side of the kitchen sink halfway with cool tap water. Allow them to soak for 30 minutes or so. This makes peeling them a breeze! While they soak, preheat a deep fryer to 350°.
Next, peel the suckers!
Once you’re done peeling, you can move on to slicing them. I use a handheld mandolin. It’s a gift from hubby and ILOVEIT! I place it on level 2, which pops out paper-thin slices. This is ideal for the chips that resemble potato chips. I’ve also had them a tad thicker, which is still enjoyable, but less addictive…hmm, maybe I should switch to #3.
In the absence of a mandolin, you could use the wide side of a grater, though I think the slices may be a bit thicker, closer to level 3. These are still delicious, just not as crispy.
They’re ready to fry! The thinner they are, the faster they’ll brown, so keep an eye on them. Also, you may want to drop them into the oil as close to individually as possible. They have a tendency to clump together, so drop, stir and shake your basket. Season them with salt as soon as they come out. Drain them on paper towels (if you can keep yourself from devouring them) and serve. They keep nicely for a day or two in a sealed bag.
