Bolón de verde: Ecuadorian green plantain balls
Crisp outside, dense and savoury inside. The coastal breakfast that turns a supermarket plantain into something worth getting up for.
- Region
- The Coast, especially Manabí and Guayas
- Type
- Breakfast
- Makes
- 4
- Time
- 40 minutes
What it is
A bolón is green plantain fried until soft, mashed by hand with butter and cheese or pork crackling, rolled into a ball and fried again. It is heavy, salty and deeply satisfying. Coastal Ecuadorians eat it in the morning with a fried egg, a strong black coffee and a spoonful of ají.
The two main versions are de queso, with cheese, and de chicharrón, with crisp pork. Mixto has both.
Choosing plantain in the UK
Buy them as green and hard as you can find. Yellowing plantain is sweeter and softer, and makes a bolón that falls apart. Most large supermarkets now sell green plantain; African and Caribbean grocers always do, and usually cheaper.
Bolón de verde recipe
Makes 4
Ingredients
- 4 green plantains
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 2 tbsp butter
- 150g mozzarella or queso fresco, grated
- Or, instead of cheese, 150g crisp-fried pork belly cut into small pieces (chicharrón)
- Salt
- To serve: fried eggs, coffee and ají
Method
- Peel the plantains: cut off the ends, score the skin along its length and prise it off. Cut into 3cm pieces.
- Fry the pieces slowly in 2cm of oil over a medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, turning, until tender all the way through but only lightly coloured. Drain.
- While hot, mash the plantain with the butter and a good pinch of salt. It should be coarse, not smooth.
- Work in the cheese or pork, then shape into four tennis-ball-sized balls, pressing firmly so they hold together.
- Fry the balls in the same oil, turning, for 4 to 5 minutes until crisp and golden. Drain and serve hot.
What you’ll need
- Green plantain
- A sturdy masher, or the bottom of a heavy glass
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