Plantain Chips

Brand: Maika’i

Cost: $2.69

Found at: Foodland

My first experience of plantain was that of betrayal. I wanted a banana and got a potato in a banana suit. I think this is a common experience, and I, for one, am still getting over the trauma. Still, I pride myself that I am doing the necessary self-work to move forward in my relationship with the plantain.  

Banana imposters they may be, but they can still be quite tasty – especially when fried. If I imagine them as stylish, tropical potatoes, I can start to get over the fact that they are not sweet. My housemate Udwak introduced me to all the ways a plantain can be cooked right – curried, mashed, stewed, broiled – the possibilities were the same as with any savory starch. In short: the possibilities are endless. 

These plantain chips are especially nice. They are “chipped” to perfection: cut into long oblong strips and dried/fried to just the right amount of crunch. They are not greasy, and the salt level is perfectly spot-on. If they did not look like bananas, I could munch on them all day and never realize that they were not made of potato.

And they are especially good with hummus.