Ecuadorian food: Chifles (fried plantain chips)
I have seen chifles all over. And not just in Ecuador. We saw chifles in all of Central America, but especially in Costa Rica.
Today our Spanish teacher asked us if we would like to learn how to make chifles. Of course we said yes.
After all, who can turn down a plantain “potato” chip (even if just for the experience)?
Our first stop was to the little corner store to buy a green plantain (a special type of plantain, not just an unripe yellow plantain). This cost us $0.30.
Then we had to pick up some vegetable oil. A half liter cost us $0.75.
We had a great break from class, and learned how to make something quite delicious and traditional.
Chifles
- 1 green plantain
- .25 L of vegetable oil
- Salt
First, wash the plantain.
It has a kind of sap on the outside of the skin that will turn your hand black if you don’t wash it off. There’s also a glue”ish” substance, like with a banana, but more intense, between the plantain itself and the skin of the plantain (inside). It can leave your hands quite sticky if you’re not careful when peeling. (They call it the milk of the plantain in Spanish.)
Peel the plantain.
Cut two parallel scores down the length, and peel the space between. Continue until the whole thing has been peeled.
Set a frying pan on the stove and heat up the oil.
Slice the plantain as thinly as you can.
Fry in the oil until the plantain turns a bright yellow color marbled with brown.
Drain on paper towels.
Add salt to taste.
Eat and enjoy!
They may not be 100% healthy, but depending on the oil you use, chifles are better for you than any potato chips you can buy from any store.
How to Make Chifles (at YouTube)
Popularity: 30% [?]
Related posts:
- Patacones (fried plantains another way), perfect with a mug of coffee
- My Four Favorite New Food Experiences (up to now)
- Guacamole
- Making Ceviche in Quito, Ecuador
- (Not So) Frequently Asked Questions
-
March 20th, 2010
- May 10, 2012 11:51 PM : How A Bag Of Almonds Rescued Me From The Panamanian Police
- May 04, 2012 12:51 PM : Why I'm Not Buying (It)
- April 13, 2012 09:32 PM : Carrie's (Secret) Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- March 28, 2012 03:18 AM : Colorado Mammoth Lacrosse
- March 26, 2012 02:53 AM : 30 for 30 – Bagels
- March 24, 2012 11:27 AM : Serious is the New Funny
- March 23, 2012 01:46 AM : Giveaway Friday: Playing In Panama (Free Dominoes Set)
- March 20, 2012 10:23 PM : Hearing From Your Heroes (Out Of The Blue)
- March 16, 2012 01:13 AM : Giveaway Friday: Influential Information On Investing and Internal Improvement, Delivered Informally (Free Rich Dad, Poor Dad Books!)
- March 09, 2012 01:26 AM : Giveaway Friday: Habits Have a Huge Heaviness For Humans (Free Slight Edge Books!)
- March 02, 2012 06:24 AM : Giveaway Friday: Your Most Memorable Movie Moment (Free Movie Tickets!)
- February 24, 2012 04:01 PM : Giveaway Friday: Fermentation Falsely Framed For Foul Fumes (Free Recipes Book!)
- February 17, 2012 05:41 AM : Giveaway Friday: Super Smooth Smoothies Suited For Selective Stomachs (Free Smoothies Book!)
- February 16, 2012 12:38 AM : The Two Questions Life Asks Of Us All
- February 10, 2012 05:30 AM : Giveaway Friday: Calling With Tin Cans Can Create Clatter (Free Calling Cards)
- February 03, 2012 04:08 AM : Giveaway Friday: Chinese Chopsticks Can Create A Cornucopia of Quality (Free Baskets!)
- January 31, 2012 07:45 AM : Buy My REI Backpack!
- January 27, 2012 01:01 AM : Giveaway Friday: Protecting Your Pictures Is Particularly Painless (How To Watermark Images)
- January 23, 2012 11:32 PM : Miracles of Unparalleled Proportions...
- January 20, 2012 09:55 AM : Giveaway Friday: Impaling Instruments Necessitate Inhibitors (Cutting Boards)
- January 18, 2012 10:56 PM : Visiting IKEA for the first time - In Centennial, Colorado?
- January 15, 2012 09:54 PM : What Are SOPA/PIPA, and Why Should You Care?
- January 13, 2012 06:19 AM : Giveaway Friday: Carrie’s Curious Chai Can Cure
- January 08, 2012 12:11 PM : Funny Improv Video
- January 06, 2012 04:09 AM : Giveaway Friday: The Potter's Hands Picture Poster Is A Perfect Presentation of Pastoral Proclamations
- January 02, 2012 04:19 AM : It's 2012! See What We're Giving Away (For Free!)
- December 30, 2011 11:18 AM : Amazing Video: Native Northerners (Eskimos) Harvesting Mussels
- December 27, 2011 11:26 AM : Poem by Jonathan: Old Smokey
- December 23, 2011 12:18 PM : Getting To Decorate Sugar Cookies With My Cousins and Grandma
- December 21, 2011 10:09 AM : Funny Video! Silent Monks "Sing" The Hallelujah Chorus
- December 14, 2011 12:20 PM : Watching The Lunar Eclipse From Venango, Nebraska
- December 12, 2011 11:00 PM : We’re In The News!
- December 11, 2011 10:48 PM : Touch Screen Everything
- December 09, 2011 10:53 PM : Enjoying Colorado (in Photographs)
- December 07, 2011 10:56 PM : Returning To Snow (And Cold)
Seeing these pictures makes me so hungry. Once you have eaten these things you can never forget them!
No kidding, right? They’re simply delicious. We liked ours so much last night that we went and bought more plantains today to make some more tonight – with the best avocadoes in the world… we’ll make guacamole and chifles. Want to join us?
[...] in Ecuador, we serve ours with homemade chifles! [...]
[...] chifles” Despite the funny English in this question, I am happy to respond to this one. In Ecuador, Chifles are chips made from thinly sliced green plantain. They are very delicious. We like chifles better than potato chips (which we don’t really [...]
how to let the chip remain fresh and crips for the next few days
Yes… that is a good question. I know they do it in chip bags somehow… but even in chip bags, once they’re opened, the chips go soft pretty quickly. I would try putting them in a ziploc bag with a completely dry paper towel and see if that works?
Anyone else have suggestions for how to keep plantain chips fresh for days after you’ve made them?
Thank you so much, this was a good read. I was actually born in Madrid (I’m not telling what year though!) but moved around europe and finally settled in England when I was a teenager. I dont remember much of the few years I was in spain, but the smell of spanish food always seems to ring a bell in me or something. It’s weird how I dont remember anything except the smells,isn’t it! I actually found a internet site dedicated to spanish recipes, which gave me great delight and thought I really should to share. Anyway, thank you again. I’ll get my husband to add your cast to my rss thing…
Volunteer in the most Biodiverse country in the world, Ecuador. Learn Spanish while you explore the amiable South American culture and learn through immersion in any of the four major ecosystems of Ecuador: the Amazon Rainforest, Andes Mountains, Pacific Coast and the number one natural wonder of the world, the Galapagos Islands. With all of these options it may be hard to believe Ecuador is still one of the most affordable places to visit in the world.
See our website http://escapetoecuador.com and join our member network and facebook page for updates, to connect with other travelers and recieve promotions to make your experience even more economical. Our programs are all inclusive and offer our particpants lodging, three meals a day, cell phones, traveler’s insurance, guide services, and transportation. All of our offerings promote conservation and give back to the local communities that you visit creating your travels a sustainable experience.