Spicy Plantains or Kelewele (Platano Maduro Picante)

Recently a group of us escaped to the Caribbean coast to spend a few days near the beach in Cocles. We went to a wonderful restaurant called “Stashus con Fusion”. I always like to try new treats, so I ordered the “Platano Maduro Picante”, or “Loco Spicy Plantains”. Wow! This was like an amazing party in my mouth, bursting with sweet, spicy and hot flavors.

While there I found out the owner is from Ghana and immediately started research on Ghana plantain recipes. I found this is an African spicy and sweet snack, commonly sold as a street food, called “Kelewele” (kay-lay-way-lay) or “Aloco”.  It is bite sized ripe plantains coated and marinated with Ghanaian spices and deep fried to a golden brown.

There are many versions of this recipe claiming to be the authentic recipe, but one of the key spices, Grain of Selim (Hwentia), can’t be found in Costa Rica. A little research revealed that Selim, or Hwentia, is a type of pepper, frequently used in tea and Touba coffee. I decided to substitute some fresh green peppercorns from my Kampot Pepper vine and found it to be the perfect substitute. Here is my version of “Kelewele”.

Ingredients:

• 3 Well Ripened Plantains
• ½ Small Size Red Onion (White Onion or Shallots are also good too)
• 1 Medium Habanero, Panamanian, or Scotch Bonnet Chili Pepper ( adjust for your taste) 
• 1 inch of fresh Ginger
• 5 whole Cloves
• 5 whole Allspice berries
• 10 fresh green peppercorns
• ¼ teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
• Juice from ½ lemon
• Salt to taste
• Chili pepper flakes to taste
• Oil for Shallow Frying

Directions:

• Using a mortar and pestle (or blender), grind the chili pepper, cloves, allspice berries, Chinese five spice, and green peppercorns together. If using a blender, pulse just until you have a rough textured spice mix. 
• Finely mince the onion and ginger into a paste, and combine with the spice mix.
• Add lemon juice and mix well. Set aside
• Cut the ripe plantains lengthwise and then in half-moons about ¾ to an inch thick.
• Coat the plantains with the spice mixture and add salt to taste. 
  
•  Let the plantain sit for about 30 minutes, or longer, so that it absorbs the flavors from the spice mixture. I like to marinate for a couple of hours in the fridge until ready to fry.
• Heat up the oil until hot, about 350°F. Fry small batches of the plantains. If the plantains were refrigerated, let them come to room temperature before frying.
• Fry the plantains until they are golden brown and crisp. You may have to adjust the oil temperature to make sure the plantains cook all the through without burning. 
• Drain the Kelewele on paper towels to absorb the oil.
• Sprinkle with a few chili pepper flakes to taste.
• Serve the Kelewele hot with chopped nuts, fried or roasted, and a side of sour cream for dipping.

Enjoy!

Ripe Plantains w/ Sour Orange & Coffee Liquor - Plátano Maduro con Limon Mandarina y Liquor de Café

Plátano Maduro, or Ripe Plantain, is a staple of the Costa Rica diet. It ranks right up there with saying "buenos días." There must be 100's of ways to cook plantains and all the recipes will vary depending on whether the plantain is green, or ripe. When they are still green, plantains can be cooked in many recipes like a potato. When the plantian is ripe, you will find in on the daily casado (blue plate special) in almost all the small restaurants known as "sodas." I put this recipe together today when I tried to recall the recipe my boys' Tico grandmother used to make some 40 years ago. This is not her recipe. She didn't use the coffee liquor in her's, but I think it is a great addition. I think you'll find this Plantain recipe makes a wonderfully sweet, and slightly, tart dessert. ¡Buen Provecho!

Ingredients:
1 large ripe plantain (the skin will be starting to turn black and it will give a little when you press on the skin)
1/4 cup bitter orange juice (you can substitute equal parts or lemon/lime juice and sweet orange juice)
1/4 cup coffee liquor
1/2 cup grated tapa de dulce (or brown sugar, well packed)
1/4 cup of raisins or cranberries
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions:
Peel the plantain and slice in about 1/4 inch rounds. Heat the butter and oil in a non-stick skillet and add the plantain slices. Brown on both sides over medium heat and drain them on a paper towel. Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer on medium/low heat until the sauce begins to thicken. Add the plantain slices back to the skillet and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the skillet and allow the plantains to cool for about 20 minutes before serving.

Prep/Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Rellenitos de Platano

(Served at Dona Luisa's Restaurant in Antigua, Guatemala)

INGREDIENTS:
3 Plantains, not very ripe
1 cinnamon stick
1 1/2 cups fried black beans
2 ounces sugar
3 tbsp cooked cornmeal (polenta)
oil

DIRECTIONS:
Wash the plantains and cut each into 5 to 6 pieces. Cook them in a small amount of water together with the cinnamon stick. Peel them and mash tem or put them through a sieve, adding the cornnmeal. With this dough make pancakes 4 inches in diameter, not very thin, put some black beans in the middle and fold them over.

Heat oil in a skillet and fry the rellenitos. Serve them with a little sugar on top.

Originally posted 3/09/08

Baked Sweet Plantains with Cheese ~ Platano Maduro Horneado con Queso

Ingredients:
2 ripe plantains (platano maduro) Note: The skin will be almost black.
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar or Splenda (you can also use brown sugar)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup grated cheese (I use queso duro in Costa Rica and Romano cheese in Houston)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
Peel plantains and slice them in half, lengthwise. Then cut each slice in half. Place the 8 sections in a greased baking dish. Cut the butter and layer it on top of the plantains. Cover with the milk, sugar, butter and cinnamon. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until they are golden brown.

Originally posted 2/11/08

Plantain Cheese Empanadas ~ Platano Maduro Empanadas con Queso

Ingredients:
1 or 2 ripe plantains (soft usually with black skin)
1 egg
1 tablespoon sugar or Splenda (optional)
1 or 2 tablespoon flour
Grated cheese for filling (I use queso blanco in Costa Rica and Mexican melting cheese in Houston. It's the closest thing I can find to the queso blanco we have in Costa Rica. Provolone or Jarlsburg would also be good sustitutes.)

Directions:
Boil plantains in water with a pinch of salt until very soft. Drain, peek and mash the plantains while still warm. Add egg and sugar. Sprinke flour over waxed paper. Take a heaping tablespoon full of the mashed plantain and shape it into a ball. Place it in the flour and press it down in a circle about ½" thick. Add a spoonful of cheese to the center of the circle, fold it over and pinch edges together. Make sure the flour is evenly coated. When all the empanadas have been formed, fry them in hot vegetable oil until they are golden brown.

Originally posted 2/11/08

Baked Sweet Plantains ~ Platano Maduro Horneado

John has really enjoyed "platano maduro" and the many ways it can be served. This simple recipe has become one of his favorites for dessert.

Ingredients:
2 ripe plantains (platano maduro) Note: The skin will be almost black.
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sugar or Splenda (you can also use brown sugar)
2 ounces rum
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
Peel plantains and slice them in half, lengthwise. Then cut each slice in half. Place the 8 sections in a baking dish. Cut the butter and layer it on top of the plantains. Sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon. Drizzle the water and rum over everything. Cover and bake 15 minutes. Turn the plantains over, spoon the liquid over them and bake another 15 minutes. They plantains are done when they are slightly browned from the caramelized sugar and they are soft all the way through. The liquid will turn to syrup.

Serve warm with the syrup drizzled on top.

Servings: 4

Originally posted 1/19/08