Plantains are incredibly popular in Latin, African, and Asian cuisines. You can find plantains at well-stocked grocery stores, or Latin, African, and Asian markets. You’re looking for ripe yellow plantains with lots of black spots (they should be only slightly firm to the touch). If yours are not ripe, leave them on the counter for several days. Green plantains can take 8 to 12 days to ripen, but you can speed up the process by storing them in a brown paper bag with an apple or banana (don’t seal tightly).
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or neutral-flavored oil of choice plus more for the aromatics
- 1 poblano pepper quartered and seeded (keep the top cap but discard the stem)
- 2 jalapeño peppers kept whole with stem on (use 1 for moderate heat)
- 4 large garlic cloves peeled
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes 10 ounces/285 g
- 2 medium-large ripe yellow plantains slightly more than 1 pound/500 g
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano or regular oregano or marjoram
- ¾ cup (180 ml) low-sodium vegetable broth (or water)
- 1 can (15-ounce/425 g) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 large juicy lime juiced (you’ll need 2 ½ to 3 tablespoons total)
- 1 cup (16 g) fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
- 8 to 10 corn tortillas
- Pickled onions and vegan sour cream optional
For the avocado mash
- 2 large or 4 small ripe avocados
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice use remaining lime juice from above
- Fine sea salt or kosher salt
Instructions
Char the aromatics
- Heat a 12-inch (30 cm) cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat with a touch of oil. Open a window for ventilation. Once the pan is hot, add the poblanos and jalapeños. Cook undisturbed for 4 minutes, then turn with tongs. Add the garlic and tomatoes to open areas of the pan. Cook, turning everything occasionally, until charred in spots and the tomatoes have shriveled a bit, 5 to 6 more minutes. If the garlic starts to burn, turn down the heat. As the aromatics start to blacken in spots, use tongs to transfer them to a plate and allow to cool. Remove the jalapeño stem.
Prepare the plantains
- Cut the ends off each plantain. Use a sharp knife to slice the peel along the length of each plantain without cutting into the flesh (after peeling the first side with a knife, I switch to using my hands). Cut each plantain into ½-inch (1.5 cm) slices on a bias.
Cook the plantains
- Wipe out the pan, then heat the 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the plantains and sear until the bottoms are deeply golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes (very ripe ones may need only 2 minutes). Flip and sear on the second side (some pieces will brown more quickly). Once done, transfer to a plate or cutting board. Use a fork to gently smash about halfway down on each plantain, then sprinkle them with a couple pinches of kosher salt. Wipe out excess oil from the pan.
Make the sauce
- Add the charred aromatics to a blender (or food processor). If sensitive to spicy food, start with half of the jalapeño(s). Add the cumin, coriander, oregano, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and several cracks of black pepper. Blend until well combined. Taste for seasonings, adding more kosher salt as needed.
- Transfer the sauce to the skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes. Pour in the broth, then add the plantains, nestling each piece in the sauce. Add the black beans and cover the pan with a lid.
- Simmer rapidly until there is little resistance when the plantains are poked with a fork, about 5 minutes. If the sauce hasn’t thickened, uncover and simmer rapidly for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and add 1½ tablespoons lime juice and most of the cilantro (set aside a bit for the garnish). Stir to combine. Taste, adding salt or more lime juice as needed.
Make the avocado mash
- In a bowl, roughly mash the avocados with a fork. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice and several pinches of sea salt. Mash together and taste, adding more lime juice or sea salt as needed.
Char the tortillas
- If you have a gas stove, turn a burner to medium-low and use tongs to place each tortilla directly over the flame until charred in spots, 15 to 30 seconds per side. Or add each tortilla to a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for 20 to 40 seconds per side. Stack and wrap charred tortillas in a dish towel to keep them warm.
- To assemble, spread some avocado mash on top of each tortilla. Spoon the plantains and beans on top and garnish with reserved cilantro. Serve with pickled onions and sour cream (if using).