Fried Plantain Cups (Plus Lots of Fun & Easy Filling Ideas!)

Welcome to The Storied Recipe Podcast, a podcast about food, culture, and love.

I host a unique podcast where every guest gives me a recipe that’s significant to their culture, life, and memories. I make, photograph, and share the recipe with you. I invite you to listen to Quiara's story in How to Give Without Regrets as you learn how to make Quiara's Plantain Cups!  

This fun Haitian appetizer from my podcast guest, Quiara Pinchina is one of our family's favorites ever!! Not only are these fried plantain cups tasty, but they are just plain *fun*!

One of the best things about this recipe is I learned something I can apply to all fried plantain recipes. This recipe calls for soaking the plantains before cooking in a bowl of salt and vinegar. This really gives the plantains a boost of flavor.

What Quiara Says About This Fun Haitian Party Food

My life is so much about cross-cultural living and this recipe is a good mix. My husband's favorite American food is probably BBQ sauce. These cute little plantain bowls will always remind me of big shingdings here at our yellow house in Port au Prince. The table is loaded with little bits of a lot of different types of food. If I'm involved I usually make a cake and a big pizza. There is rice and beans, fried chicken, fried plantains with pikliz, some type of spicy pasta dish such as lasagna or gratine, and maybe a salad. These bowls are a cool addition cuz they're so cute and you can pull little bits from the other foods to put them together. My favorite party of all time was in September, when my husband planned a surprise party for me. He blindfolded me outside our gate and there were probably 50 people singing happy birthday to me on the porch. It was such a humbling moment because I came here as a stranger in a time when Haiti is so full of insecurity and financial problems, and his circle of family and friends has welcomed me in a way I will never forget.

-Quiara Pinchina

Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player

What to Serve with Fried Plantain Cups

If you're looking for Haitian appetizer recipes, you really don't have to look any further than these plantain cups! They are transformed into treats of many flavors simply by changing the fillings! Here are some of Quiara's suggestions:

• Chunky guacamole
• Pineapple slices (Quiara suggests adding them to the meat and we loved the plain in the bowls!)
• BBQ pork or chicken
• Pikliz (a spicy pickled cabbage dish - the recipe is included with the Plantain Cup recipe below)
• Mango salsa
• Tomato or Cucumber salsa
• Let me know in the comments if you come up with your own!!

Equipment List

• Lemon squeezer
• Large skillet
• Mixing bowl

More Caribbean Recipes

Recipe

Fried Plantain Cups (Plus Lots of Fun and Easy Filling Ideas!)

---

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 3 reviews

• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 18 servings 1x

Print Recipe

Description

These fun fried plantain cups can be filled with lots of easy, delicious fillings – including Pikliz (recipe included)! Perfect for a Caribbean party!

---

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the Bowls

• Green plantains
• Salt
• 1 tsp vinegar
• Oil for frying
• Lime squeezer/press (to shape bowls)

For the Pikliz

• 1 small Carrot
• 1/4 cup silvered Onion
• 1/4 cup silvered Bell pepper
• 1 Scotch bonnet pepper, finely diced
• 1/2 tsp Chicken boullion powder (Maggi)
• Salt to taste
• Vinegar to taste
• 1/2 head Cabbage, finely grated
• juice of 1-2 Key limes

Filling Ideas

• BBQ sauce with beef or shredded pork
• Pineapple slivers added to the meat mixture
• Salsas - I think I’ve filled them with mango salsa or cucumber/tomato salsa before
• Avocados or a chunky guacamole salsa
• Onion or cabbage pikliz

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

Cue Up The Episode!

Make sure to listen to Quiara Pinchina on The Storied Recipe Podcast, From Port Au Prince: How To Give Without Regrets with Quiara Pinchina while you make her Fried Plantain Cups recipe!

Make The Recipe

For the Bowls

1. Peel the plantains and cut them into about 3 in chunks. You might have to experiment depending on the size of your lime squeezer.
2. Prepare a small bowl of water with a teaspoon of vinegar and enough salt to make it very salty.
3. (Note from Becky: A popular Haitian YouTuber soaks the chunks for an hour before the first fry. Quiara recommends soaking them after the first fry. I did both.)
4. Deep fry the plantains in oil until they change color a bit and the outside is very crispy.
5. As soon as you remove them from the oil, press them with the lime squeezer to make little bowls.
6. Dip them in the salt water, don’t forget this step! Then fry again.
   1. Watch out, the oil sizzles a bit because of the wetness.
7. When they’re crispy, remove them from the oil, and you’re ready to add the filling.

For the Pikliz

1. Mix together your finely silvered veggies with the seasonings, lime juice, and vinegar.
2. Add pepper a little bit at a time to control spice. You want a spicy, sour flavor, and you should be able to taste the chicken boullion flavor. The measurements aren’t exact.
3. Let it sit a bit before serving to season through.

Notes

Make sure to listen to Quiara Pinchina on The Storied Recipe Podcast, From Port Au Prince: How To Give Without Regrets with Quiara Pinchina while you make her Fried Plantain Cups recipe!

• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Category: Appetizers, Snack
• Cuisine: Caribbean

Nutrition

• Calories: 9
• Sugar: 1
• Sodium: 20
• Fat: 0.1
• Saturated Fat: 0.01
• Carbohydrates: 2
• Fiber: 1
• Protein: 0.4
• Cholesterol: 0.01