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Tachinos

Green plantain rounds fried twice and flattened between the baths, the savoury staple of the Cuban table.

VeganGluten-free#plantain#frying#salt#side dish#cuba
Tachinos

Photo : Juan Emilio Prades Bel · CC BY 4.0

Prep
15 min
Cook
20 min
Total
35 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy

Method

  1. Score the plantain skin lengthways in three lines. Lift the skin away with your thumb.
  2. Cut the plantains into 2 cm rounds, across the grain.
  3. Crush the garlic and soak it in the water with the coarse salt. Set this brine aside.
  4. Heat the oil to 160°C and fry the rounds for 5 minutes. They should stay pale and tender.
  5. Lift them out and press each round to 1 cm thick between two sheets of baking paper.
  6. Dip the discs in the garlic brine for 3 seconds, then blot them dry.
  7. Raise the oil to 190°C and fry again for 2 minutes, until the edges turn gold. Salt them and squeeze lime over.

That brine dip between the two fries is the Cuban move. Salted water reaches the fissures opened by pressing, which seasons the centre and makes the surface blister in the second bath.

Nutrition · per serving

Calories
401 kcal
Protein
2.2 g
Fat
18.6 g
Carbohydrate
57.8 g
Fibre
3.8 g

An estimate computed from the recipe quantities and the USDA food composition database. Real values vary with the products used.

Frequently asked questions

What does the garlic salt water do?

It is the Cuban touch that defines tachinos. Once flattened, the round is cracked open and the salted water reaches the middle, seasoning it from the inside. The damp surface also blisters into a crust in the second, hotter fry.

Why fry at two different temperatures?

The first fry at 160 °C softens the flesh without colouring it, so it can be flattened without shattering. The second at 190 °C exists only to build the golden, crisp crust. A single fry gives rounds that are brown outside and raw within.

Do the plantains have to be green, and how do I peel them?

Green and firm, yes: ripe ones are sweet and brown before they cook through. The skin does not pull away like a banana's. Score it lengthways in three lines, then lift each strip off with your thumb.

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