Plantain Fritters #SundaySupper

This week, the Sunday Supper crew is celebrating Dia de Independencia, or the Mexican Day of Independence.  What a better way to do this than with a Mexican Fiesta filled with delicious food!

I have to admit that Mexican cooking was quite a challenge for me.  Not having any other spice lovers in the house, our Mexican repertoire consists mostly of tacos and taco salads-- hold the extra spice.   

Additionally, our town's Mexican grocery store recently closed, so I was pretty limited due to lack of traditional ingredients.  I almost don't want to admit it, but when I found out about this challenge, I literally wandered down the ethnic food aisle at our big box grocery chain for about an hour, holding a gigantic bag of corn husks in my hand, and silently lamenting about my lack of creatively for this week's dish.

Then, it hit me-- Sunday is another holiday!  Starting at sundown, people of the Jewish faith begin celebrating Rosh Hashanah!  What could I do for a dish that would combine both Jewish and Mexican cuisine?  Okay-- so it's a stretch, but I came up with Plantain Fritters.

Now, one wouldn't necessarily see the Jewish connection until you see how the dish is prepared.  Instead of just battering chunks of plantain, I decided to treat it like a sweet latke.  (in the Jewish tradition, a latke is a pancake traditionally made from grated potato)  What resulted was a delectably sweet fritter with just a hint of tangy banana flavor. 

Plantain fritters coated in sugar and cinnamon then drizzled with chocolate sauce

Ingredients

• 2 large plantains (avoid very ripe plantains as they need to be somewhat firm for grating)
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• Vegetable oil for frying fritters
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Chocolate sauce for drizzling

Directions

Prior to heating any oil for cooking, you need to get all of your ingredients prepped.  Once you start cooking, everything moves very quickly, so it will help to be prepared. 

Peel your plantains, and in a medium sized bowl, carefully use a grater to hand grate the plantains.  (do not use a food processor for this! You must hand grate the plantains or they will turn to mush)  Set the bowl aside.  Working quickly, lightly beat the egg in a small bowl.  Add the brown sugar and milk to the egg mixture and combine.  Set aside.  In another small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and mix thoroughly.  Set aside.  In yet another small bowl, add the sugar and cinnamon and combine.  You will use this sugar mixture to coat the fritters after they have come out of the hot oil. 

Add the egg mixture to the grated plantains, and lightly mix.  Then, add the flour mixture to the plantains and eggs, and lightly mix that in as well.  You are now ready to start frying!

In a large frying pan, add vegetable oil to the pan until you have about a quarter of an inch of oil in the pan- maybe a bit less.  You do not want so much oil that the fritters are totally submerged.  You only want the bottom half of the fritter to be frying at a time.  Turn on the heat to medium.  Do not turn the heat on too high or you can easily burn the fritters.  When the oil is hot, carefully scoop enough of the plantain mixture into the hot oil so that you have a 2-3 inch diameter fritter.  Fry the fritters on that side until the bottom starts to turn golden. This may only take a few minutes or less!  Flip the fritters and fry on the other side until that side is also golden brown.

Remove the fritters from the oil and allow them to momentarily rest on a paper towel lined plate.  Then, working quickly, individually place them into the small bowl with the sugar and cinnamon mixture making sure to coat both sides.  Serve with a drizzle of your favorite chocolate sauce.  I found that two large plantains made six fritters. 

Now you can't have dessert until you've eaten your dinner!  So make sure to check out the other fabulous recipes from the Sunday Supper crew.  You can find them below, plus we'll be sharing them all day long on Twitter!  We'd also love for you to get in on the party and share your favorite Mexican and Mexican-inspired recipes during our #SundaySupper live chat at 6pm CT.


Sopas (Soups), Ensaladas (Salads), and Entremeses (Starters)

• Chicken Tortilla Soup - The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Mexican Paint Soup - Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends
• Jalapeño Popper Dip - Chocolate Moosey
• Vegan Tortilla Soup - Galactosemia in PDX
• Texas Caviar - Ruffles and Truffles
• Cheese-Stuffed Jalapeños w/ a Tequila Sunrise - Mama's Blissful Bites
• Mexican 7 Layer Dip & Chips - The Daily Dish Recipes
• Stoplight Salsa Reisipe - Family Foodie
• Tortilla Soup with Roasted Vegetables - Diabetic Foodie
• Mini Taco Salads - Big Bear's Wife

La Comida (the food)

• Fiesta en tu Boca Enchiladas (Chicken & White Bean Enchiladas w/ Salsa Verde) - The Hand That Rocks the Ladle
• Gluten-Free Chicken Spinach Artichoke Enchiladas for #SundaySupper - Cooking Underwriter
• Mexican Fiesta for #SundaySupper: Chipotle Chicken & 3 Bean Quesadillas w/ Wasabi Guacamole and Mango Salsa - Chattering Kitchen
• Carnitas - My Catholic Kitchen
• Tamale Pie - Noshing with the Nolands
• Eggs Motuleños - The Meltaways
• Grilled Fish Tacos with Black Bean and Corn Salsa - Small Wallet Big Appetite
• Carne Asada - Magnolia Days
• Carnitas Avocado Pizza with Chipotle Avocado Mayonnaise Drizzle - Damn Delicious
• Frijoles Charros (Cowboy Beans) - La Cocina de Leslie
• Puerco Pibil - girlichef
• BLT Quesadillas with Avocado Mayo - Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Chile Rellenos with Roasted Tomato Sauce - Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
• Tamales with Green Chili Sauce - Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
• Beef and Vegetable Enchiladas - Hezzi D's Books and Cooks
• Chicken Con Queso - Momma's Meals
• Baked Flautas - Home Cooking Memories
• Chunky Aztec Chocolate Granola - What Smells So Good?
• Street Tacos Al Pastor - Sustainable Dad
• Shrimp Tacos - Pippi's in the Kitchen Again
• Chile Relleno with Ranchero Sauce - The Little Ferraro Kitchen
• Zippy Chipotle Shrimp & Mango Tostadas - Sue's Nutrition Buzz
• Pork Tacos - Tora's Real Food
• Stuffed Sopapillas - Juanita's Cocina
• Chicken Fajitas - Cravings of a Lunatic
• Blue Crab Tacos - Pescetarian Journal
• Huevos Rancheros - Comfy Cuisine

Postres (desserts)

• Chocolate Cinnamon Flan - Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Caramel Apple Enchiladas for a Mexican Fiesta #SundaySupper - In the Kitchen with KP
• Chilli Chocolate Truffles - Happy Baking Days
• Horchata Ice Cream & Churro Brownies - Kwistin's Favorites
• Strawberry Empanadas - In the Kitchen with Audrey and Maureen
• Plantain Fritters - From Fast Food to Fresh Food
• Fried Cinnamon Sugar Tortillas - The Watering Mouth

Bebidas (beverages)

• Beer Margaritas - That Skinny Chick can bake
• Hatch Chile Margarita - Shockingly Delicious
• Skinny & Spicy Watermelon Margaritas - I Run for Wine
• Refreshing Kiwi Lime Margarita - Mama Mommy Mom
• Wine Pairings for a Mexican Fiesta #SundaySupper - ENOFYLZ

Remember--We’ll be meeting up on Twitter at 6:00 pm Central for our weekly #SundaySupper live chat where we’ll talk about our favorite recipes for a Mexican Fiesta! All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag, or you can follow us through TweetChat or Tweet Deck! We’d also love to feature your Mexican Fiesta recipes on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board and share them with all of our followers!  Won't you join us around the Family Table?


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