A few dishes associate plantains with some sort of protein, either on the side or on top, but none of these dishes are very portable. I was looking for a portable plantain dish which is how the idea for these fritters came about and yes, I can definitely picture them on an appetizer tray. They are delightfully crispy on the outside. The combination of the slightly sweet plantains and the seasoned ground beef make for a very tasty bite. It is very important to season the plantain before forming the plantains balls though, a generous dash of salt does the trick. The green onions add a unique flavor of this dish.
Be careful not to use plantains that are too ripe or the fritters will be difficult to form and mushy inside.
I will be adapting this recipe to make it vegetarian very soon!
Beef & plantain fritters Recipe
Print recipe| Serves | For 8-10 fritters |
| Prep time | 1 hour, 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 30 minutes |
| Total time | 1 hour, 45 minutes |
| Meal type | Appetizer |
| Misc | Serve Hot |
Ingredients
- 2 Medium plantains (slightly ripe, yellow, but still firm)
- 100g ground beef (1/4 lbs)
- 1/2 Small onion diced (~1/3 cup)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 green onions, chopped, white and green parts separated
- salt and pepper
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Directions
| 1. | Boil the plantains in salted water until they're cooked, about 10 min. Check that they are cooked by inserting the point of a knife in one of the plantains, it should go in with little resistance |
| 2. | Drain the water from the pot and place the plantains in a medium size bowl. Before the plantains cool off completely, add the butter and mash them with roughly with a fork |
| 3. | Place a little bit of vegetable oil in a pan or skillet, add the tomato paste and chopped onions. Cook both until the onions are starting to become translucent. Add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Add the green onions. Stir to break down the meat until cooked through. |
| 4. | Add the beef mixture, and the green parts of the scallions to the plantains. Stir lightly with a wooden spoon. |
| 5. | In a bowl, beat the egg with a little bit of water and salt. Pour the breadcrumbs in another bowl. You will use both to coat the fritters before frying them. |
| 6. | Using a small spoon, place about 2 spoonful of the plantain and beef mixture in your hand. Using your other hand to help, fashion the mixture into a ball about 2 cm wide (1in is fine). Quickly dip the ball in the egg, you can use a spoon to help coat the entire ball, then coat the ball with the breadcrumbs. I found that having the breadcrumbs in a bowl that can be easily shaken makes coating the fritters easy. Place the fritter on a plate. |
| 7. | Repeat the previous step until you have prepared as many fritters as you'd like or you run out of plantain and beef mixture. Then, in a skillet or a wok, heat up some vegetable oil. You need enough oil for the fritters to be at least half way covered in oil. |
| 8. | When the oil is hot, gently place the fritters in the pan one at a time. Do not overcrowd the pan. Let each fritter cook on one side until it turns brown, and then turn it using a slotted spoon or thongs, so that it can be cooked evenly. |
| 9. | Remove the cooked fritter from the oil bath using a slotted spoon and place them on a plate covered with paper towel. Serve warm! |
Is this a TF creation? I like the idea of mixing plantain w/ meat, I’m not sure using the reddest of animal proteins is the best way except if the plantain has just started to ripen but not sweeten (a very short period indeed.) If there is any sweetness in the plantain, I would suggest a salty or other-wise cured animal protein like ham or bacalao. How about SPAM to give it a Pacific/South seas spin?
Yes, it is a TF creation! 🙂 Very good point regarding the ripeness state of the plantain. If it is too ripe the flavors and textures do clash a little bit. I will also be trying these fritters with ham as you suggested, it sounds like it could be a tasty flavor combination. I am thinking that I will use a thick cut of ham. If you get around to trying it with ham before I do, please share your findings! I have never cooked with SPAM but maybe now is the time to start…