Chifles or thin fried green plantain chips
Homemade recipe for chifles or thin fried green plantain chips. These crunchy chips are also known as mariquitas, chicharitas, platanutres, platanitos or plataninas. You can also make them with very green bananas.
Servings 1 green plantain equals about 1 cup of chifles
Equipment
- Mandoline slicer
- Cut resistant gloves - always wear cut resistant gloves when using a mandoline slicer
Ingredients
- Green plantains or very green bananas
- Oil for frying – use a type of oil that can handle high temperatures ie peanut oil
- Salt
- Optional : Hot pepper or garlic cloves for additional flavor variations
Instructions
- Wash the green plantains before peeling them. Both green plantains and green bananas can release a liquid that will stain your hands/clothes and even the cutting board, if you prefer to avoid stains wear an apron and gloves.
- The plantains will be easier to peel, but the flesh of the green banana is more likely to stick to its skin. Start by cutting off the point ends of the plantain, then use a knife to make a light cut into on the rigdes on the long side. Next use your finger to peel and remove the skin. If the plantains aren't very fresh they tend to be harder to peel or might have dry parts. You can also use a peeler to finish removing any bits of skin that didn't come off while peeling it by hand. Rinse or place the peeld green plantains in a container with cold water to keep them from browning.
- Slice the green plantains. You can slice them lengthwise, full length or half length. You can also slice them as thin rounds or thin diagonal ovals. You can use a mandoline slicer to get that perfect thinness.
- Heat the oil, either in a deep sauté pan or fryer, ideal temperature for frying these is between 375 F-400 F, there should be enough oil to fully cover the green plantain slices. It's best to fry them in batches.
- Add the thin green plantain slices to the hot oil; be careful not to overcrowd to keep them from sticking together.
- Fry until the chips are a golden yellow color.
- Remove the chips from the oil and place them on paper towels to remove any excess oil.
- Sprinkle with salt and serve either warm or cold.
Notes
These homemade fried plantain chips or chifles can be stored in sealed container or plastic bag for 3-4 days.