Ingredients
Plantain
- 3green plantains
- neutral oil, for frying
- salt
To serve
- queso fresco or a crumbly white cheese
- cabbage salad, dressed with vinegar
- grilled beef or pork
- crema or soured cream
Directions
- Cut both ends off with a sharp knife. Score the skin lengthways along its ridges. Do not cut deeply into the flesh underneath. Work along each scored section in turn. Warm water helps if the skin refuses to move. Oiling your hands first prevents most of that.
- Cut each peeled plantain lengthways into long strips. Aim for about three millimetres of thickness. Put the slices in cold salted water for ten minutes. This draws out surface starch and helps them crisp.
- Drain them and dry them thoroughly with a cloth. Wet slices spit violently in hot oil. Pour oil into a deep pan to a depth of five centimetres. Never fill the pan more than halfway with oil.
- Heat it to 180C and check it with a thermometer. A slice dropped in should sizzle at once and float. Fry them in small batches of six or seven strips. Turn them with tongs as they colour. They need about three minutes to reach golden brown.
- Take them out just before they look done. Draining them properly keeps them crisp. Lift them onto a wire rack rather than kitchen paper.
- Salt them immediately while they are still glistening. Salt sticks to hot oil and slides off cold slices. Let the oil recover between batches. Serving them is done hot and as a base. Lay the tajadas across the plate in an overlapping layer.
- Pile grilled beef or pork on top of them. Add a heap of vinegared cabbage salad beside it. Crumble white cheese over the whole plate. Spoon crema over the top if you like. They must be eaten within minutes of frying.
Technique
- Tajadas made from ripe plantain are also eaten in Nicaragua and are sweet and soft rather than crisp.
- The word tajada simply means a slice, so its meaning shifts across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Substitutions
- Green bananas can be used at a pinch but are smaller, softer and much less starchy.
- Cassava cut into strips fries the same way and is often sold alongside.
Variations
- Tostones use the same plantain cut into rounds, fried, smashed and fried again.
- Maduros use fully ripe plantain and caramelise as they fry.
- Vigoron is a related Nicaraguan street plate built on boiled cassava with pork crackling instead.
History
Fried green plantain slices served under meat or with cheese, the base of Nicaraguan street plates.
Frequently asked questions
What is Tajadas?
Tajadas is a salad & side from Nicaragua: crisp fried plantain strips alongside grilled meats. Fried green plantain slices served under meat or with cheese, the base of Nicaraguan street plates.
How long does Tajadas take to make?
Tajadas takes 10 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Tajadas?
Yes, within limits. Green bananas can be used at a pinch but are smaller, softer and much less starchy. Cassava cut into strips fries the same way and is often sold alongside.
What is the most important thing to get right in Tajadas?
Cut both ends off with a sharp knife. Score the skin lengthways along its ridges. Do not cut deeply into the flesh underneath. Work along each scored section in turn. Warm water helps if the skin refuses to move. Oiling your hands first prevents most of that.
