The Caribbean · Volume 14, The First Free Kitchen in the Americas
Bannann peze
Haiti
Illustration
- Time
- 30 minutes
- Researched
- Researched from 67 sources in the brief
No exact quantities were found; the process below is the consistent, defining technique documented across every source consulted.
As tradition built it
Bannann peze
Serves 4. About 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 4 green plantains
- as needed cold water
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- for frying vegetable oil
Method
- Make a bowl of cold water with the salt and vinegar.
- Peel the plantains. It is easier under cold running water, splitting the skin lengthways.
- Cut each into 4 thick rounds or diagonal pieces.
- Fry them in hot oil about 4 minutes, to soften and colour them lightly.
- Lift them out and flatten them with a plantain press, a chopping board, or the bottom of a plate.
- Dip the flattened pieces quickly in the salted water and drain them.
- Fry them again 2 minutes, until golden and crisp. Drain on paper.
Notes
Directly comparable to, but named distinctly from, tostones elsewhere in the Caribbean.
The recipe is Malaury's, of Cuisine H. Recettes-haitiennes.com slices them about 7mm thick on the diagonal, holds them in salted lime water while the oil heats, fries them 2 to 3 minutes first, presses them between two saucers, and serves them with pikliz and griot.
What a modern chef changes
Held Fry Temperature, Fixed Salt Ratio
Rung 2
Method
- Fry at a genuinely held, stable oil temperature for both stages rather than a variable stovetop flame, for an even, non-greasy crust across every piece rather than a patchily browned batch.
- Salt the dipping water to a fixed, tasted ratio rather than approximating it, so the seasoning through the plantain's interior is consistent piece to piece.