Crispiest Smashed Plantains
Crispiest Smashed Plantains
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Secrets to making the *crunchiest* plantains revealed + 5 Fun Facts about Haiti
Sun Feb 28, 2021
In honour of the last day of Black History Month, I'm excited to share a recipe this recipe that I recently learned. Thus, "Vini jwi yon bon gou ti goute ayisyen!" (= 'Come enjoy a delicious Haitian snack!' in Haitian)
Total time 30 minutes
Yield ~15 pieces
Difficulty level easy-moderate
Note: as there was no text recipe, I dictated this recipe adapting it from this one.
Ingredients List & Equipment
2 plantains
1-2 cups high smoke point oil (e.g.: vegetable, coconut, peanut oils; do not use olive oil)
1 tablespoon salt
2 cup of cold water
Optional: garlic & 1/2 lime juice
Helpful tools:
paper towel & parchment paper
cup with a handle (or meat tenderizer)
Preparation
1. Peel plantains: (Hack: Slice off both ends, then make slits along the groves to open)
2. Cut plantains into 1-inch thick slices (they will be smashed later)
3. Put 2 cups oil into a pot and turn the heat to a medium-low heat
4. After the oil is warm (~160°F) fry the plantains on each side for 4 minutes (total 8)
5. While the plantains are frying, mix 2 cups of water with 1 tablespoon of salt.
Opt: add in 1/2 lime juice, 2 minced garlic, and a pinch of paprika
Plantains will get golden yellow brown - this was captured after the first flip
Water mixture
6. Turn off the heat, and transport the plantains on a plate lined with a paper towel
7. Using a cup, push down to 'smash' the plantain. (Tip: Placing plantain in between parchment paper; you can also sub the cup for a meat tenderizer or a measuring cup)
8. Re-heat oil - this time to medium. Grab a bowl and line with paper towel. When the oil is heated, quickly dip plantains until a quick bath, complete a quick pat dry on the bowl and then throw it into the oil to fry on
9. Complete a second fry repeating the cycle again on each side for about 2-3 minutes each until they are golden brown
10. After they on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
Enjoy!
FAQ
Air fried using the Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid Attachment (I'm finally starting to like this gadget!)
1) Can I substitute using the air fryer?
Yes! I tested adapting from Simply Low Cal's AF recipe and it works!
Apply the same steps. Air fry at 400F for 6-8 minutes flipping halfway
The shallow fry method obviously yields a crispier plantain, but considering the oil trade-off, this is an excellent alternative looking to curb their calories.
I got so busy at work, I accidentally neglected them for 14 days!
2) My plantains turned black on the outside - can I still use them?
Yes! From experience, the air-fried batch was made using 'black plantains'.
The plantains were ripe on the inside and had a light pink-orange hue. Blogs recommend using raw plantains (i.e. green), however, it still works with ripe plantains, the flavours are more succulent and what to me feels 'alcoholic'.
3) Cute recipe, can I substitute this with bananas?
As this dish is usually used as a salty snack or to pair with meats, I would not recommend double frying bananas to serve alongside meats. If you are to deep fry bananas, you can consider making it into dessert - this exists in both French and Japanese cuisine!
4) What is the secret to this recipe?
*Caution* before I start debunking this, note that there were not enough resources so these are hypothesis based on the research I did find.
At first, I thought it was the saltwater that was the secret to making the plantains ultra-crispy. As not enough people have written about plantains, I compared them to fries. After reading this Serious Eats article, it suggests the secret to extra crispy is double frying. This practice gives us the fast food crunch we all crave.
According to Kenji's trials, within the context of potatoes, "The key lies in the fact that not all water in a potato is equal. Some of it is bound within the potato's structure more tightly then the rest, requiring more energy to expel it."
My friend suspects the saltwater is mainly for evenly distributing the salt flavour. As some recipes suggest soaking the plantain in water before the fry, the water may also in some recipes serve as removing the excess startch.
A note from Donna:
Story behind this recipe
In this virtual pandemic world, my team at work hosts a monthly virtual cooking session the person in charge that month teaches the entire team a dish to cook. This month, it was my co-worker Francois' turn, and the email stated we'd be learning how to make a popular Haitian dish called banana peze (smashed plantains). I loved the session so much, he gave me permission to document his verbalized recipe!
During the virtual class, not only did him and his wife take us through the steps, what made this memory so special was how he integrated his culture. While we cooked the plantains, he took the opportunity to teach us fun facts about Haiti.
5 Fun Facts
1) Haiti was the first island to be decolonized in 1804, freeing themselves as slaves from the French!
2) Every Jan 1st, it is a Haitian tradition to make something called Soup Joumou (a squash soup). According to WLRN Public Radio and Television, it is tradition to make and drink this soup. It symbolized celebration and commemoration of freedom as this type of soup was previously strictly reserved for their white masters.
3) According to this article, at one point in the 1800s squash was used as currency in Haiti. Squash was that valuable!
4) Haiti means "Land of Mountains" - even though I've never been there myself, as Francois described his home country, his descriptions enabled me to envision the country's beauty! This is the power of storytelling.
5) The Haitian flag has great meaning. The horizontal blue and red strips pay homage to its multi-ethnic population makeup. The coat of arms symbolizes Haitian's commitment to fight for their country and freedom.
The scroll in their flag states their motto: "L’Union Fait La Force" which means, Union is Strength.
Food for Thought
"Being underestimated is a gift. You no longer need to find motivation." - James Clear
(Adapt it to today's context...say for another 5'2" Asian female):
Underrepresentation may be a gift. You no longer need to find the motivation to be the change you've always wanted to see.
So can you.
---
This past year, I've wrestled a lot with my own identity especially within the realms of race. I think I was tremendously lucky to grow up in a predominately Asian neighbourhood and church. I never had to wrestle with what it meant to be a minority until my adulthood.
I was watching a live virtual interview where one of the panelists said a phrase that still sticks quite closely to me. As she had immigrated from Japan to Seattle, she shared "I am a minority, I am also the majority". I could relate to it so deeply being Asian and female. While the reality of that statement stung for a moment... it also empowered me when I saw the flip side of the coin. I took a step back and realized the power of our voices when we add up all minorities together.
We are the minorities. Bring us together, we are the majority.
In a time where there is an increasing amount of violence erupting within nations. The surge of Anti-Asian crimes is deeply concerning. Will I too need to worry about my children one day being attacked at night? Will they be treated differently by the police? Will they have people step 12 feet apart? Sadly, actions show that some believe Asian equates to some, a mindset that people with yellow skin have a higher likelihood of carrying covid. Is the most deadly disease in this current age...the virus of hate? It first started with our Black community, now it's us Asians. Will your community be the next target?
Let us band together as a nation to stop this discrimination now.
I know it is scary to do something. Please do not enable through silence because it is much scarier whom might get hurt next. Will it be your friend's grandmother? Will it be your uncle? Will it be you?
I encourage you to kindly disable by speaking up. Whether it be sharing your story, or if you're an ally, interrupt a racist moment you witness. We all have a part to play.
To end it on a lighter note, I wanted to share other resources I found for my Black History Month research:
1) 28 Recipes to celebrate Black History Month - I haven't had a chance to make too many recipes, but it's bookmarked and I can't wait to explore more cuisines outside of what is familiar to me. The pictures were very beautiful of all the dishes!
2) 10 Black food bloggers to follow - if it's one thing I've learned - diversifying our feed is important. It helps me personally get out of my bubble.
3) Support the Black culinary community. I bought this month recommended by Jenna Fischer (aka Pam from The Office)
Consider New World Sourdough by Bryan Ford
Finally, I learned about 2 Black Canadians and loved these simple 3-minute videos on the lives of Viola Desmond (woman on the $10 bill) and Elijah McCoy (a brillian engineer behind the popular phrase - "The Real McCoy")
If you want to know of more Canadian black icons, our work Black Partner Network (employee resource group) share on a different Black-Canadian every day this past month. You can check out and follow their profile here. Starbucks Canada also wrote 4 articles sharing different stories featuring our Black partners.
#RepresentationMatters
Until next time (how is it March tomorrow?!)
Donna
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