Dodo (Fried Plantain)
Ripe to the point of worry, cut thick, salted after
- Total time
- 17 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Beginner
- Per serving
- 224 kcal
Prep 5 min · Cook 12 min
The plantain must be black-spotted and soft. Yellow plantain fries into something starchy and disappointing that no amount of oil will save.
Method
Judge the plantain by feel, not colour alone
It should give under your thumb like a ripe avocado. Mostly black skin, soft body.
Why this mattersRipeness is sugar. Sugar is what caramelises. An underripe plantain has nothing to caramelise.
Step 1
Judge the plantain by feel, not colour alone Cut thick — 1.5cm, on the diagonal
Thin slices burn before the inside turns creamy.
Medium heat, not high
5–6 minutes a side until deep amber at the edges and yielding in the middle.
⏱ 12 minutesWhy this mattersHigh heat scorches the sugars into bitterness while the centre is still firm.
Drain, then salt
Onto kitchen paper, then salt immediately while the surface is still hot.
Why this mattersSalting before frying draws out water and the slices spit and steam.
Ingredients
Equipment
- Frying pan
- Kitchen paper
Mistakes to avoid
- Frying yellow plantain. Wait two more days. There is no technique that substitutes for ripeness.
- Slicing thin. You lose the soft interior that is the whole point.
- Salting in the pan. Salt draws water, water hits hot oil, and you spend the evening cleaning the hob.
Tips from the kitchen
- Air fryer: 200°C, 12 minutes, shaken twice, lightly oiled. Not identical, but close and far less mess.
Storage & reheating
Storage. Eat now. Dodo does not keep — it goes soft and oily within the hour.
Reheating. Dry pan, high heat, 2 minutes a side.
Nutrition · per serving
| Energy | 224 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 38 g |
| Fat | 8 g |
Estimated, and dependent on your exact ingredients.
Serve it with
