This afternoon snack from Valle del Cauca is made in three stages: fry a very ripe plantain with a darkened peel once, flatten it while hot and sandwich cheese inside, then dip it in a lightly sweet batter and fry again. The outside is puffed and crisp, with melted cheese inside. Unlike savory patacones made with green plantains, aborrajado is made with ripe plantains and has a sweet-savory flavor. The darker the peel, the sweeter the result.
Trim both ends of the plantains and score the peels lengthwise to remove them; the peels of ripe plantains come off easily by hand. Cut each plantain diagonally into 4 cm pieces; the angled cut creates a wider surface when flattened.
Heat the oil to 170°C / 340°F. Fry the pieces for 4–5 minutes, until the edges are golden and the surfaces caramelize. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and arrange them on a wire rack. The plantains should be soft but still hold together.
Place the hot pieces between two sheets of parchment and press them to 1 cm thick with the flat bottom of a plate. Put one slice of cheese in the center of each flattened piece, cover with a second plantain piece, and press the edges closed with your fingers; no cheese should show at the edges.
Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add the egg and milk and whisk until smooth. The batter should flow from a spoon in an unbroken ribbon; if it is too thin, add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) flour, and if it is too thick, add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) milk.
Raise the oil temperature to 180°C / 355°F. Dip the cheese-filled plantains in the batter, let the excess drip off, and carefully lower them into the oil; fry no more than three at a time. Fry for 2 minutes per side, until puffed and golden brown. Rest on a wire rack for 2 minutes and serve hot; if left to stand, the cheese will firm up and the crust will soften.
The plantain peel should be mostly black, not yellow; yellow plantains will not sweeten during frying and may break when flattened. Keep the cheese 1 cm from the edges; if it spills out, it will leak into the oil during the second fry and burn.
Muzun çok olgun olması şart. Sarı ama sert olanla yaptım, ilk kızartmadan sonra yassıltırken kırıldı ve peynir dışarı aktı. Kabuğu kararmış muzla ikinci denemede kaşık gibi esnedi.
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