Fried Plantains

During our trip through Arizona, we happened to visit a Cuban restaurant, where plantains were a garnish on our plates.  I had never tried them before and I fell in love with their starchy sweet flavor.  While in Mexico, they were always in the stores and I found them a wonderful accompaniment to the Mexican Hot Cakes I made with masa harina.

Breakfast Plantains

Peel and slice plantains as desired.  (vertically or crosswise) to about ¼” widths.

Heat coconut or other oil of your choice in a frying pan and add plantain slices.

Cook until plantains turn golden brown, then turn and brown on the opposite side. Drizzle honey over the cooked plantains and stir to coat.  Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon, if desired.

Serve over Mexican pancakes or as an accompaniment to any other suitable dish.

Mexican Hotcakes

We spent 3 weeks in Puerto Penasco, Mexico in February and I wanted to try my hand at adapting our meals to the ingredients available in that small fishing village.  I found a package of masa (corn flour) with a hot cake recipe on the back.  These were so good, I made them multiple times!  

Next weekend, I will explain how to cook the plantains I used for a garnish.

Masa Harina Hot Cakes

Mexican Hot Cakes

1 cup masa (I used Maseca brand, which is commonly available in the US)

1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 tablespoons oil

¾ cup water or milk substitute

Mix all ingredients.  Pour about 1/3 cup onto heated and lightly greased griddle per pancake.  Turn when bubbles begin to form on the top side.  Serve with butter, syrup and fried plantains.

This is the masa I found in the Puerto Penasco grocery store that I thought would be safe since it says 100% maiz on the package.  The package had the Hot Cake recipe on the back.  It called for milk, but I substituted with coconut milk.