Ripe Plantain empanada

gaga

The sweet taste of the plantain contrasts perfectly with the salty taste of the filling. It has a caramelised crust with a soft delicate inside.

Course Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine American, world

Servings 4

Wash and cut plantains into 3 pieces.
Place in a pot with enough water to cover them. Add salt and place over medium-high heat.
Boil until plantain is cooked and soft (not mushy ), about 10 minutes.
Drain and peel off the skin.
Slice through the middle and remove the string of tiny seeds, this is an optional step.
Using a potato masher or fork, mash plantain into a smooth pulp adding a little salt while mashing.

Dampen your palm with a little water, cut off a small lump of plantain dough, about 2 rounded tablespoons full of the dough and press into a flat circle on your palm.
Place a tablespoon or less of the filling, gather the sides over the filling and pinch to close.
Roll gently in your palm to seal and flatten it slightly. Set aside on a plate.

Lay out a large piece of wax paper (see note) on a flat surface.
Cut off a small lump of plantain dough, about 2 rounded tablespoons full of the dough.
Place the lump of plantain dough on one-half of the wax paper.
Fold over the other half of the paper to cover the dough.
Using a rolling pin or bottle, gently roll the dough out or use a flat plate to flatten dough.
Peel the paper back and put in your filling. Gently lift paper with dough and cover the filling.
Open the top paper cover and using a damp finger press the edges to close.
Use the tip of a fork to press and seal the edges, trim edges to look neat.
Remove and set aside.

Place a frying pan over medium-high heat, add enough oil for frying.
When hot, place filled empanadas in the oil, being careful not to overcrowd the oil. If the empanada sticks to the bottom of the pan, gently nudge it to release it.
Flip to fry the other side.
Drain on paper towels and serve.
Serve with a dipping sauce e.g Nigerian tomato stew, pepper sauce etc.

The pie filling should not be watery, to avoid it seeping out of the plantain dough.
Be careful when filling ripe plantain empanada dough with gizdodo, the gizzard can easily pierce the delicate plantain dough. If it does, patch it with a bit of the dough, then dip a finger in water and rub the edges to blend it.
In place of wax paper, you can use parchment paper, glossy calendar/magazine or brown paper.
Seal your empanadas well to avoid their busting open when fried.
If the overripe plantain is too difficult to handle, add a little plantain flour or all-purpose flour to it.
Do not overcrowd the oil when frying empanadas.
The oil should be hot enough to quickly fry and caramelise the plantain dough.
The plantain has been cooked so there is no fear of the empanada crust being raw inside.
Do not stack your fried empanadas when they are still hot, otherwise, the steam will make their crust soft and stick together.
You can add peanut butter to the dough for a different flavour.
When serving with a dipping sauce, always put into consideration the nature of the filling so that both of them will complement each other.

Keyword food pocket, food wrap, fritter, pie, plantain, pocket food, small chops