I had been meaning to make patacones or fried plantains for a while now and I figured I'd take it one step further and make a vegan version of the Venezuelan street food, patacon pisao. Basically it's an open faced sandwich using fried plantains or patacones as the bread and usually it's filled with some sort of meat, beans, cheese, sauce or slaw on top. I used grilled tofu as my "meat" and topped it with a slaw, radishes, scallions and then refried beans for heartiness. I must say, that even meatless and cheeseless- this was one delicious meal. I almost ate two, but decided to not be greedy and gave my second one to my dad. He loved it!
Vegan Patacon Pisao
Fridge:
1 package of extra firm tofu, sliced in half (see photo below)
1/2 cup vegan mayo ( I used miso mayo)
3 scallions, chopped
1 bag of coleslaw mix (or 2 1/2 cups cabbage julienned and 1 cup of carrots julienned)
5 small radishes, julienned
3 tbs cilantro, minced
Counter:
4 green plantains, peeled
Juice of 1 lime
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups very warm water
Optional: avocado for serving
Pantry:
1/2 tsp siracha
Salt pepper
1 can refried beans
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 tbs salt plus 1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Tools:
Slim but tall pot for frying plantains
Tongs or slotted spatula for frying
Plate lined with paper towels
Measuring cups/spoons
Cutting board
Heavy wooden cutting board or something flat and heavy to press plantain
Chopping knife
Medium bowl
Large bowl
Heated grill or grill pan
Take your cilantro, garlic and 1 1/2 tsp of olive oil and sprinkle it all over the tofu. Add 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of black pepper to the tofu and allow to marinate while you prepare the slaw salad. I marinated mine for an hour before I started but it's not necessary.
In a large bowl mix together the vegan mayo, siracha and lime juice. Add 3/4 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of black pepper. Mix well and then add the coleslaw mix, radishes, and scallions. Mix well and put in the fridge until ready to use.
Fill your frying pot with oil and place over medium to high heat. Allow to heat for 10 minutes.
In the medium bowl add the warm water and 1 tablespoon of salt. Mix with a spoon to dissolve the salt. Set aside near the frying pot.
Once the oil is hot (you can test using the end of a wooden spoon- place it in the middle of the pan and if bubbles come up around it- it's hot enough)- add the whole plantains- I fried only 2 at a time because that's all my pot could fit.
Cook for 2-3 minutes per side. Then remove from the hot oil and place on the paper towel lined plate for a minute to cool.
Once slightly cooled- place one plantain on a cutting board and take your a heavy wooden cutting board and press on top of the plantain to flatten. Use even pressure to get the same thickness. It should be about 1/4 inch thick or thinner if you prefer.
Take the flattened plantain and place in the bowl of warm salted water. Remove quickly and place back into the heated oil for a second fry. Fry for a minute on each side before removing to the paper towel lined plate again. Continue this process with all 4 plantains.
While the plantains fry- heat your grill and add the marinated tofu. Grill each side for 3 minutes and then remove from the grill and chop into bite sized cubes. Be gentle with the tofu- even though it's extra firm- it can fall apart easily.
To prepare the patacon pisao- take your twice fried patacon or plantain, spread refried beans across one side. Add the grilled cilantro garlic tofu, then the slaw on top and avocado if you're using it (I forgot to add mine, oops) and some extra cilantro if you wish. Enjoy this with a cold cerveza!! Pura vida!! Xo
No comments:
Post a Comment