Aborrajados de Plátano (Ripe Plantain Fritters)
These crispy ripe plantain fritters stuffed with cheese are delicious and easy to make.
- 2 large very ripe plantains
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 8 mozzarella cheese slices about 2” x ½” and ½ “thick
- 2 eggs
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- Pinch salt
- Peel the plantains and cut cross-wise into 8, 1 ½” chunks.
- Fill a large pot one-third full with vegetable oil and heat to 360°.
- Add the plantain chunks into the hot oil and fry them about 3 minutes or until golden.
- Meanwhile, make the batter: mix the flour, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Add the eggs. Gradually, stir in the milk to make a smooth batter. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
- Remove the plantains with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
- Place the plantain chunks onto pieces of parchment paper or plastic and flatten them to ¼” thickness.
- Place 1 cheese slice in the center of one plantain pattie and cover with another pattie, like making a sandwich, and press the edges of the plantain sandwich to enclose the cheese completely.
- Dip the sandwich in the batter and add to the oil, in batches. Fry for 1 minute on each side or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve warm.
“thick 2 eggs 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 tablespoon sugar 2 tablespoons milk Pinch salt Method Peel the plantains and cut cross-wise into 8, 1 ½”
You can serve aborrajados de plátano as an appetizer or side dish. What are Aborrajados de Plátano? It is a typical dish from the Valle del Cauca region in Colombia.
To make Colombian Aborrajados, ripe sweet plantains are cut in thick pieces, fried, flattened, filled with cheese, covered with a batter and fried again. I love serving these aborrajados as a side dish with grilled meats during the summer. They are also the perfect appetizer or snack, and even served as a dessert stuffed with guava paste.
Where Can I Find Plantains? In the United States plantains are sold in most grocery stores and Latin markets.
To make this aborrajados recipe you need ripe plantains (yellow). If you only find unripe (green) plantains, just let them ripe for a couple of days in a brown paper bag in your kitchen counter, cabinets or pantry.
This delicious Colombian dish can be prepared in different ways. If you like, you can add some guava paste (bocadillo) between the plantains to go along with the cheese.
What do You Need to Make this Recipe
You can find the printable recipe card with exact amounts and directions below.
Plantains: Use very ripe plantains (yellow with black spots) to make this recipe. Oil: Vegetable or canola oil are good options to fry these aborrajados.
Cheese: I like using mozzarella cheese, but queso blanco or your favorite melting cheese will work too. To make the batter you will need whole milk, flour, eggs, salt and sugar. You can add a pinch of ground cinnamon if you want.
Aborrajados is one of those recipes I watched my grandmother make throughout my life. As you’ve probably noticed, there are a lot of plantain recipes in Colombian cuisine and this one is very traditional and absolutely delicious.
