Recipe: Rosa Cienfuegos’s Platanos Fritos Will Bring the Neighbours Around

In Australia, the warbling tune of Greensleeves on a balmy evening usually means “ice-cream van”. In Mexico, they do dessert on wheels differently.

“Mexican street-food vendors selling platanos fritos emit a loud whistling sound, which comes from the dessert steamers. Still, the effect is the same, and people come running out for an early evening sugar hit,” writes Rosa Cienfuegos in La Mesa Mexicana. “The platanos fritos cart drives through the streets looking for the best place to stop and wait for the neighbourhood to line up.”

The dessert in question is simply plantains fried until crisp on the outside, but still soft inside. The additions – a sprinkle of cinnamon or a scoop of ice-cream – are entirely up to you.

Though it’s relatively simple to put together, the sweet treat is hard to come by in Australia. Just ask Cienfuegos: “How I miss platanos fritos now I’m in Sydney!” 

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Rosa Cienfuegos’s platanos fritos

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Ingredients 

250ml (1 cup) vegetable oil 

4 ripe plantains, peeled and halved lengthways 

2 tbsp condensed milk 

80g (4 tsbp) strawberry jam 

1 tbsp brown sugar 

To serve 

Chocolate or rainbow sprinkles 

Marie (rich tea) biscuits 

Vanilla ice-cream (optional) 

Method 

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium–high heat. Add the plantain and cook, turning frequently, for 4–5 minutes, until lightly golden. 

Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain. 

Divide the plantain among four serving plates, drizzle with the condensed milk and top with the jam and sugar.  

Finish with a scattering of sprinkles and serve with Marie biscuits on the side and a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, if you like. 

This is an edited extract from La Mesa Mexicana by Rosa Cienfuegos. Published by Smith Street Books RRP $69.99.