1/2tspSalt –This is for taste, so add a good pinch and taste. Repeat if necessary.
2TbspSour Cream
Fried Plantains
1Large Thick Ripe Plantainripe can be when the plantain is showing darkness on the skin.
Frying OilEnough to cover the surface of the skillet
Instructions
Refried Beans
Place the beans from the can into the blender with enough of the water they come with (I only do this with organic beans). If you add too much water you can always cook it down afterwards.
Add 1/4 tsp of Mustard. Try not to add more as the flavor comes through very easily. You can even start with less just in case you want a sense of what it adds to the final taste.
Add 1/2 tsp of Worcestershire Sauce – Again this is a strong flavored ingredient so be careful how much you add. Start with less if this is your first time using this sauce so you can get a sense of the flavor.
Blend the beans until completely smooth. Set aside.
Heat a pan with medium-high heat and add 1-2 Tbsp of oil.
Chop 1/5 of a medium to large onion and add it to the hot pan.
Fry the onion and stir occasionally until the edges are a bit charred. That chard will bring an extra flavor to the beans.
Now add the blended beans and mix.
Add a 1/4 tsp of Garlic Powder and about 1/2 tsp of Salt (to taste)
The beans will come to a boil quickly. Stir them and lower the heat so they don't splatter on you.
Cook until they are thicker then when you first poured them. You want them to be a bit solid when they cool off. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Fried Plantains
Squeeze the plantain! – I like to soften up the plantain by squeezing it all throughout with my thumbs.
Peel it! – Remove all of its skin!
Cut it! You can do this in different ways. I start by cutting off the ends of the plantain. Then, I cut the pieces diagonally and have the thickness be a little over half an inch or 2.5 cm. If they are all the same thickness, they will all take the same amount of time to cook.
Heat up the frying pan on medium-low heat so the pan doesn't smoke. Add a generous amount of oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
Place the plantains on the pan using tongs.
After a few minutes, you should see some browning around the edges of the plantains then you can flip them. They need to have a golden brown color.
Brown plantains on both sides and they should eventually take on a soft texture if you got the appropriate plantain. I usually have better luck with large thick plantains. The thinner ones tend to be dryer.
Once browned, remove plantains from the pan. Set aside and remove the extra oil they might be dripping in by patting them down with a papertowel.
Reheat the already made refried beans and serve plantains alongside with sour cream or the yummy examples I gave above in my introduction. Enjoy!