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Rellenitos de Plátano are a staple in our local cooking. They are made out of mashed cooked plantains, stuffed with sweetened refried beans. They are shaped into ovals or balls, fried, and then sprinkled with sugar and sometimes drizzled with cream. This is one of the ways we enjoy plantains in Guatemala and since they are easy and inexpensive to make, it is quite common to find them at markets, parks, fairs, restaurants and our grandmother’s kitchens.

As with all local dishes, there are a few variations when it comes to adding ingredients to the sweetened refried bean mixture. Since this is our independence month, I wanted to try making rellenitos myself so we could share the recipe with all of you and add it to our Guatemalan Recipes Collection. I also wanted to try the variation of adding unsweetened cocoa to the bean mixture, I think it would give it more depth of flavor.  If I had made these for myself, I would have added some cayenne pepper to the bean mixture too, if you like food with a little kick… by all means try adding a couple of pinches of cayenne pepper.  Be careful, this stuff can be very hot!

Helga

Plantain Rellenitos

Yields: About 10 rellenitos
A Foodies’ Kitchen Original Recipe

Ingredients:
4 ripe plantains
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup of refried black bean
⅓ cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)
vegetable oil
a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
1 to 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour (if needed, see step 3)
water (if needed, see step 4)

Procedure:

1. Without peeling the plantains, make a vertical cut, just deep enough to cut through the peel, and then cut them in half. Place the plantains in a pot, with enough water to cover them completely. Add the cinnamon stick, and cover the pot to let them boil.
2. After 15-20 minutes of cooking time you’ll notice that they are soft and the peel has opened. Remove the plantains from the cooking liquid (you can reserve the water, add a little sugar and drink it either cold or hot) and let them cool.
3. Once they are cool, peel them and use a potato masher to make your dough. If the mixture is too stiff, you can add some of the water they cooked in. On the contrary, if the mixture seems too runny, you can add all-purpose flour (1 tablespoon at a time).  Set aside.
4. In a medium skillet, heat your refried beans adding a little water to acquire a soft consistency. I added about ⅓ cup of water to 1 cup of beans. Add the sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder and cayenne (if using).  Stir this mixture for 1-2 minutes.  Set aside.
5. Now, the assembly: Divide the plantain mixture into 10 balls.  Wet your hands to prevent the dough from sticking. Try to form a pattie, and place about 2 teaspoons of bean mixture in the center of the plantain pattie.  Close it up, trying to keep all the bean mixture inside. Otherwise, when you fry them they will open.
6. In a large skillet, add enough oil to fill up about 1 inch.   Once the oil is hot, add the plantain rellenitos without overcrowding the pan.  After approximately 3 minutes, turn them over and let them brown on the other side, for another 3 minutes, at medium heat.
7. Place them on a paper towel so it absorbs the excess oil.
8. Sprinkle with sugar, and serve. You can also drizzle them with cream.

Have you made this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture with the hashtag #thefoodieskitchen!

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