Welcome to The Storied Recipe! 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 "From Port Au Prince: A Mennonite "Cafe Au Lait" Marriage" as you learn how to make Quiara's Plantain Cups!
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This fun Haitian appetizer from my podcast guest Quiara 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.
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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.
Hear more of Quiara's story here.
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What to Serve with Fried Plantain Cups
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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!!
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Episode Related to These Fried Plantain Bowls
Visit the episode post:
From Port Au Prince: A Mennonite "Cafe Au Lait" Marriage with Quiara Pinchina
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Or listen to Marybeth now:
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How to Contact Quiara Pinchina
Cookbook and website: quiarapinchina.com
Instagram: @quiara_pinchina
Facebook: Quiara Pinchina
Pinterest: Quiara Pinchina
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Fried Plantain Cups {Plus Lots of Fun & Easy Filling Ideas!}
18
servings1
hour10
minutes1
hour10
minutesThese fun fried plantain cups can be filled with lots of easy, delicious fillings – including Pikliz (recipe included)! Perfect for a Caribbean party!
Keep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
- For the Bowls
Green plantains
Salt
1 teaspoon 1 vinegar
Oil for frying
Lime squeezer/press (To shape bowls)
- For the Pikliz
1 small 1 carrot
¼ c ¼ silvered onion
¼ c ¼ silvered bell pepper
1 1 scotch bonnet pepper, finely diced
½ teaspoon ½ chicken boullion powder (Maggi)
Salt to taste
Vinegar to taste
½ head ½ 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 a cucumber/tomato salsa before
Avocados or a chunky guacamole salsa
Onion or cabbage pikliz
Directions
- For the Bowls
- Peel the plantains and cut them into about 3 in chunks. You might have to experiment depending on the size of your lime squeezer. Prepare a small bowl of water with a teaspoon of vinegar and enough salt to make it very salty.
- (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.)
- Deep fry the plantains in oil until they change color a bit and the outside is very crispy. As soon as you remove them from the oil, press them with the lime squeezer to make little bowls. Dip them in the salt water, don’t forget this step! Then fry again. Watch out, the oil sizzles a bit because of the wetness. When they’re crispy, remove them from the oil, and you’re ready to add the filling.
- For the Pikliz
- Mix together your finely silvered veggies with the seasonings, lime juice, and vinegar. 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. 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!
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Quiara Pinchina says
Becky... Thanks for the addition of soaking the plantains before frying! I do that too if I have my act together and am not in too much of a hurry! That's the way I learned to do it but my in-laws don't bother with it all the time. You sure can't get fried plantains too salty! Your bowls look so delicious!
Anonymous says
Another thing I didn't mention in the recipe... You can fry a big batch of plantain chunks and press them, then freeze them and when you're ready, thaw, dip in salt water, and fry the second time. Fried plantains are obviously not good leftover, so I do this a lot in Haiti because I buy plantains in bigger bunches that all ripen at the same time. Freezing is a way to have them fresh in small amounts and only get your kitchen really messy once.
admin says
Oh, thanks Quiara!!! I am adding this to the recipe!!!!