Spanish Recipe: Cook Fried Plantain with Your Kids

Craving fried plantain? You’re in the right place! A Spanish language school blog? Really? Yes! Here at TruFluency Kids we teach Spanish through cool activities, so kids truly enjoy the learning process. That includes teaching you some popular recipes in Spanish.

Think about it: Wouldn’t it be amazing if you cook something delicious with the help of your kids while they learn Spanish? Great! Then, let’s start, shall we?

Here’s the Spanish recipe to cook fried plantain with your kids. Which, by the way, is a super common dish in many Latin American countries!

How Can Fried Plantain Help Children Learn Spanish?

Fried Plantain is a food that many kids love. That means that practicing their Spanish skills when cooking it won’t be as boring as when cooking something they don’t like. Because they’ll be excited and waiting for the moment to eat it.

They’ll acquire important words and phrases for the kitchen. All in the perfect environment and with the perfect activity for them to learn that type of vocabulary. This means they’ll learn and practice Spanish in a natural, casual way.

Plus, learning vocabulary for the kitchen is beneficial as cooking is a skill they’ll keep forever and will do in any language.

Like we said above, fried plantain is a very popular dish in many Spanish speaking countries. So your kids will not only practice their language skills but will also learn something new about Spanish speaking cultures.

And learning about new cultures is always important when learning a new language, as well as for personal growth.

Fried Plantain in the Hispanic World

We already learned this is a very important food in Spanish speaking countries. They use it as a side dish or as a dessert. But now it’s time for you to know that there are different versions of it with different names depending on the country.

In Mexico they’re called “plátano frito” (plural: ”plátanos fritos”). In Honduras and Venezuela, they’re “tajada” (plural: “tajadas”). In Ecuador, Perú, Costa Rica, Colombia, Panamá, as well as Honduras and Venezuela, it’s called “patacón” (plural: “patacones”). In Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and also Guatemala and Venezuela, they’re “tostón” (plural: “tostones”).

The difference is that “plátanos fritos” are a bit larger and “tostones” or “patacones” are round.

Let’s Cook!

Ingredients:

• Plantain – Plátano macho
• Oil – Aceite
• Beans – Frijoles
• Cheese – Queso
• Condensed milk – Leche condensada
• Salt – Sal
• Rice – Arroz

Tostones or Patacones Recipe

Steps:

1. Peel the plantains. For this you can cut a couple of vertical lines with a knife all along the banana. This will make it easier for you to use your hands to peel the plantain.
2. Cut the plantain in slices of around 3 cm.
3. Pour oil in a pan, put the slices there and fry them slightly from all sides. Make sure they don’t fry too much; they just have to look light yellow, not too burned.
4. Once they’re ready, take them out of the pan and put them on a paper towel or a napkin. So the remains of oil are absorbed.
5. Put one slice on wax paper. Then, carefully smash it with a cup, a dish or anything helpful until it looks like a thin circle, like a cracker.
6. Repeat step 5 with all the plantain slices.
7. Now that you have all the plantain circles, fry them again. They don’t have to get burned, but they can be more fried this time.
8. When they’re ready, take them out of the pan and, once again, put them on a paper towel to absorb the oil.
9. Time to plate them! How do you want them? They can be served as side dishes. For example: Add them next to an egg. It’s also common to serve them with beans or rice. You can also put some cheese or even a sauce on top of them. If you prefer them for dessert, add condensed milk on top; it tastes delicious! If you want something simpler, just add some salt.

Plátanos Fritos Recipe

Steps:

1. Peel the plantains. You can do it just like we taught you with the “tostones”.
2. Cut the plantain in diagonal slices.
3. Pour oil in a pan, put the slices there and fry them completely, but make sure they don’t get burned. And do not smash the plantains. “Plátanos fritos” should stay cut in diagonal slices. You can also serve them with condensed milk or even on top of the rice.
4. Take them out of the pan and put them on a paper towel or a napkin to get all the excess of oil removed.
5. Plate them. Just like with the “tostones”, “plátanos fritos” can work on their own, as dessert or as a side dish. It’s especially common to add condensed milk on top of them or to put them on top of your rice.

Spanish Phrases to Use When Cooking the Fried Plantains

Here are some phrases in Spanish you and your kids could use when making and eating the friend plantain.

• Mom, could we make fried plantain, please? / Mamá, podemos hacer tostones/patacones/plátanos fritos, por favor?
• Mmm, I’m craving some fried plantain. / Mmm, se me antojan unos plátanos fritos.
• Pass me the ingredients. / Pásame los ingredientes.
• I’ll help you peel the plantains. / Yo te ayudo a pelar los plátanos macho.
• Take that cup and smash the plantains. / Agarra esa taza y aplasta los plátanos fritos.
• I want to smash them; it’s so much fun! / Yo quiero aplastarlos. ¡Es muy divertido!
• Wrapped them in paper towel to take off the excess of oil. / Envuelvelos en papel absorbente para quitarles el exceso de aceite.
• Do you like fried plantain? / ¿Te gustan los patacones?
• Do you want them with cheese or with condensed milk? / ¿Los quieres con queso o con leche condensada?
• Help me plate them, please. / Ayúdame a emplatarlos, por favor.
• Put a pinch of salt on top. / Ponles un poquito de sal encima.
• Be careful when eating them because they’re still hot. / Ten cuidado al comerlos porque aún están calientes.
• Thanks for helping me cook fried plantain, dad. / Gracias por ayudarme a cocinar patacones, papá.
• They’re delicious! / ¡Están deliciosos!

Want More? We Serve Your Spanish Classes with a Pinch of Fun!

Did your kids have too much fun cooking this Spanish recipe? Awesome! If they’re still hungry for more, TruFluency Kids has the coolest ways of learning Spanish. We teach through singing, dancing, playing different games, crafting, storytelling and, of course, cooking. We’re full of fun! So don’t hesitate about enrolling them in our classes.

Our native teachers also make sure there’s speaking time in every lesson thanks to our conversational Bellieu Method. Yes, you read that right, we encourage your kids to speak in class. This is the best way children will achieve Spanish fluency.

Why don’t you take a live trial class now for only $9? You’ll get to see how we work and how much your kids will enjoy their Spanish lessons. Our trial classes only have a maximum of five students, so everything is more personalized.

Plus, after the lesson, you’ll get the chance to attend a Q & A to answer all your questions. So lose no time and check out our classes. We’re sure your kids will be left wanting more!