Platanos maduros are a staple at my house. Seemingly exotic to some, these delectable little bites are simple to prepare and make a fantastic side dish for many meals (think roasted chicken, barbeque pork with rice and beans, etc.) as well as a great snack. I often have them prepared for the kids when they come home from school or in the middle of the day on the weekends and they absolutely love them! Maduros are also a crowd-pleaser. Whenever I bring them to a party or serve them at my house, they are gone shortly after they hit the table.
The trick to getting plantains that taste great, with a nice caramelized color and slight crunch around the edges is to make sure they are ripe. For platanos maduros, the blacker the skin, the riper the plantain and the sweeter they taste. The ones pictured above were borderline, just ripe enough and they yielded a nice batch. I hope you will try these out. If you do and your house is anything like mine, they won’t last very long!
- 3 ripe plantains
- vegetable oil
- Place frying pan over medium heat on stovetop
- Cut off ends of plantains, make a long slice,top to bottom through the skin, to help peel it off (it's a little tougher than a banana so you can't just rip off the skin)
- Slice the plantains diagonally into ¼ inch thick, long pieces
- Add enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan
- When the oil is hot, lower the heat to medium-low (you don't want the plantains to burn, rather caramelize slowly)
- Add the plantains in batches, do not overcrowd the pan
- Once the first side is caramelized (similar color in picture above), turn over and caramelize on the other side
- Remove and set on a plate with a couple of paper towels to absorb the oil
- Serve and enjoy!