Like most people, I am at my most creative when stuck between a rock and a hard place. These tough situations are peppered with moments of clarity that, in this particular case, inspired this masala (Indian spice) plantain chips recipe. The story went this way: I was supposed to bring a plantain dish to a get-together, but the plantains I had were not ripe enough for what I had originally planned to make. I needed an easy green plantains recipe, and fast. That is when I remembered having masala french fries while in Kenya a few years ago. Frankly, I thought that dish was a soggy mess, the antithesis of what French fries are supposed to be like, but the idea was an interesting one. The problem with the masala french fries I had was that they were not crunchy at all, the frying technique was non-existent. Well, using green plantains instead of potatoes would go a long way towards avoiding that mushy fate. I had some garam masala handy at home (here is a recipe if you don’t: http://indianhealthyrecipes.com/punjabi-garam-masala-powder-recipe/) and decided to risk it. The end result was an interesting innovation, a case of traditional made new. The feelings it triggered resembled those you would have upon meeting an old friend who has completely changed their look, a mix of surprise, wonder and an eagerness to find out more, or in this case, to eat the all the chips!

Try the recipe below and let us know what you think.

Masala plantain chips Recipe

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Serves	2
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	15 minutes
Total time	25 minutes
Dietary	Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Meal type	Side Dish, Snack
Misc	Serve Hot

Ingredients

• 1 green plantain
• 1/2 tablespoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Oil for frying

Directions

1.	Peel the plantain (here is one technique: http://www.wikihow.com/Peel-a-Plantain), then cut it in thin slices using the slicer disk of a food processor, a mandolin or a knife
2.	Put the slices in a bowl. Add a little bit of water, the garam masala and salt.
3.	Heat up 3/4 cup of oil in a pan. When hot, add the plantain slices, fry on high heat for a few minutes then lower the temperature. Your chips are ready when the oil no long sizzles.

If you are reading this post, thank you for your continuous support! We are delighted to have been sharing tropical recipes from around the world with you for the past 5 years and counting.

The transition to plantain empanadas from this heartfelt announcement is not an easy one, but it must be done. Latin Americans are empanadas’ royalty: pick any ingredient, and they make an empanada out of it (http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/10/types-of-empanadas-saltenas-corn-flour-plantain-viento-latin-american-food.html).  I had tried green (unripe) plantains empanadas before, and it turns out they were just a teaser for the ripe ones’ version. This yellow plantains empanada dish is so simple yet so flavorful, that after polishing my plate , I immediately started thinking about when I would get chance to make it again. Yes, that serious. The combination of the crunchy plantain batter and the warm filling made for a tasty journey I couldn’t wait to get back on.  Care to join me? Let me know what you thought of the recipe in the comments below.

Note: The plantains needed for this recipe need to be carefully selected. They need to be ripe but firm, otherwise you will get a mushy dough that will be near impossible to handle.

Ripe plantains empanadas with shrimp filling Recipe

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Ingredients

• 1 "just" ripe plantain (yellow and firm)
• 1/2 cup frozen shrimps
• 3 tablespoons tomato sauce (basic marinara pasta sauce works fine)
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup flour (to form the plantain dough and prevent it from sticking)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• salt, pepper, chili to taste

Directions

1.	Make the plantain dough. Fill a large saucepan with water, add 1 teaspoon of salt. Cut the ends off the plantain, peel it and cut it in half. Add to the pot and boil for 15 minutes, until fully cooked. Using tongs, remove from the pot and let cool. Puree using a potato masher, add 1/8 cup of flour and mix.
2.	Make the filling. Heat up the oil in a frying pan. Sauté the frozen shrimps for a few minutes, then add the tomato sauce, cilantro and a little bit of water. Season with salt and pepper to taste (added a little bit of chili as well). Cook for 10-15 minutes until the consistency of the filling is paste-like and no longer liquid, and the tomato sauce and shrimps are cooked.
3.	Form the empanadas. Form 3 balls with the plantain dough. Drop one ball onto a heavily floured rectangle of plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a semi-rectangular shape. (Watch here starting at 40 sec: http://www.cookitgirl.com/uncategorized/sweet-plantain-ground-beef-empanada-recipe/). Add more flour to the surface as needed. Place 1 tablespoon of the cooled shrimp mixture in the center of each piece of dough. Use the plastic wrap to fold it in half around the filling and press the edges together with your fingertips to seal the empanada. Lay the finished empanada on a lightly floured, plastic wrapped baking sheet. Continue until you’ve made all the empanadas.
4.	Fry the empanadas. Heat the oil in a large (10-inch) deep, heavy skillet until hot - about 350 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Fry the empanadas at a time, turning occasionally, until nicely golden, about 3 minutes total. Drain on paper towels. Serve at once on a warm serving platter.

Note

Adapted from: http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/ripe-plantain-turnovers-with-black-bean-filling/

Thank you:  "Cook it Girl"

What to do when a few pounds of frozen cassava stare at you every time you open your freezer? Make some cookies out of them! The most amazing thing about the world being so rich and diverse (and about the internet) is that if you want to try a recipe you’ve never made before, you will find a blueprint for it.  I checked out tropicalchefs.com, found a recipe that I thought looked good and then ran with it. The end products were delicate, barely sweet treats that when sampled felt like you had just taken a bite out of a bubble.  I wasn’t sure what the ginger cassava combination would taste like, but it turned out to be a lucky one.

Cassava ginger cookies Recipe

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Serves	10-12
Prep time	20 minutes
Cook time	10 minutes
Total time	30 minutes
Meal type	Dessert

Ingredients

• 10 tablespoons butter
• 40g sugar ( or a little less)
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 60ml honey
• 180g finely grated cassava
• 450g plain flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1.	In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in the ginger, cinnamon, honey and the egg. Fold the cassava in the mixture.
2.	Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a separate bowl, then add in the butter mixture and combine by mixing thoroughly.
3.	Drop rounded tablespoons of the mixture onto an ungreased baking tray. Place in an oven preheated to 375F and bake for 7 minutes.
4.	Take the cookies out of the oven, cool on a wire rack then serve.

This is a story of a failed recipe that turned out delicious in the end! I was supposed to make mini-pies, but ended up with some delicious patties instead. It all happened in the last step before baking.I completely covered my tuna stuffing with the cassava dough instead of forming sides for a pie. Well, that was a fortunate misstep because I ended up with an amazing dinner! I hadn’t expected the cassava to go so well with the tuna mix. Baked together, they formed a delicate ensemble that teased my tastebuds and filled my stomach. Never had a mistake make anyone so happy!

Cassava and tuna patties Recipe

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Serves	6
Prep time	30 minutes
Cook time	20 minutes
Total time	50 minutes

Ingredients

• 500g cassava, peeled and boiled in salted water until tender (a little bit more than 1 lbs)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (or any other herbs that you like, I used a dill and basil combination)
• 50g grated cheese

Filling

• 1 can tuna, drained

Directions

1.	Drain and mash the cassava with a potato masher. Allow to cool then blend in the eggs and set aside.
2.	For the filling, heat the oil in the pan, add the onion and stir-fry until soft. Flake in the tuna and stir in the coriander leaves. Fry the mixture for a few minutes, stirring constantly.
3.	Take off the heat and mix in the cheese. Take pieces of the cassava dough, form a slightly flattened ball with your hand, dig a hole in the center, add some of the filling, then cover it completely with the dough.
4.	Once made, put the patties on a lightly greased-baking tray. Transfer to your oven pre-heated to 170C and bake for about 15 minutes or until the patties are golden brown.
5.	Serve hot, accompanied by homemade chili or guacamole.

I am slowly falling in love with boniatos, because of both their versatility and their lovely taste. In my latest culinary adventure with them, I had been looking for a substitute for potatoes to incorporate into a breakfast hash. I wanted an ingredient with a firm texture and with a little sweetness, but I didn’t want to use the most commonly found sweet potatoes, the red/orange kind, as I thought they would bring too much sweetness to the dish for my taste. One morning, I gave boniatos a try and I am very glad I did! Along with chicken, leeks and carrots as the other components of this hash, they were the perfect not-to-sweet potatoes to make this dish a very hearty and filling breakfast, ideal for a weekend morning.

Boniatos hash Recipe

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Serves	2
Prep time	30 minutes
Cook time	15 minutes
Total time	45 minutes
Meal type	Breakfast

Ingredients

• 2 Medium boniatos (diced)
• 1/4 cup leeks (green parts)
• 1/4 cup carrots (diced)
• 1/4 cup chicken breast (shredded or roughly chopped)
• vegetable oil
• salt and pepper

Directions

1.	Add enough oil in a small skillet to cover the bottom of the pan and heat up the oil on the stove top. (You can test the temperature of the oil by adding a piece of boniatos, it should start sizzling.) Add the diced boniatos, a dash of salt, and pan fry until the boniatos are cooked through and lightly brown and crispy on the outside.
2.	Remove the boniatos from the skillet and place them in a small bowl. Keep them in the oven to prevent them from cooling down too much
3.	In the skillet you used to cook the boniatos, add the carrots, and the leeks. Cook them until they both soften, but stop before the carrots become mushy. Add the shredded chicken and toss around just to warm it up. Season with salt and pepper
4.	When the vegetables have the right consistency and the chicken is warm, remove them from the stove top. Add the vegetables and chicken to the boniatos and toss around until well combined. Serve immediately