Why do bananas wear suntan lotion?
…..
Because they peel.
OK this is last corny joke we will use in a blog post, but maybe not.
But we need to talk about Latin cuisine and specially plantains, which are a cousin to the normal banana.
One of the easiest authentic latin dishes you can create is something called platanos maduros.
It looks like this:
If you happen to live in urban area with Spanish food restaurants you know what fried bananas are.
Well, at least, you should know.
But in any case, fried bananas or platanos are a very sweet side dish.
These types of bananas are probably our favorite latin dish.
And they are probably the easiest thing you can make at home.
Basically you will need some platains.
Most super markets sell them.
The key to making the platanos maduros is you need to get some plantains that are ripe.
And that means, the skin is black.
The more black the skin is, the better.
As these plantains get black the fruit gets sweeter.
Once you pick up these black plaintains you simply cut one into coins, then fry it in about 1/4 cup of veggie oil.
Take a look at this picture that explains plantains:
From green to black the plantain is getting sweeter.
If you can only find green ones, when you fry these you will be making something called tostones, which is just as good but its not going to be sweet.
Also if you make tonstones you want to add some salt to them after they cook.
Discover a lot more of our favorite recipes in our cookbook: The New Latin Kitchen:
Platanos Everywhere,
BookSumo Press