Are plantain chips dehydrated or fried?

Plantains are native to tropical areas like the Caribbean and warm climates like West Africa. They’re quite starchy, not sweet and in terms of nutrition are high in potassium, fiber and resistant starch – which makes them good for gut health. So when you see a plantain, think potato. Because it always needs to be cooked to be eaten. In terms of recipe development, that means you can bake it, fry it and mash it, just as you would a potato. Today, we’re baking our plantain and making plantain chips. A delicious, salty and crispy little chip that can quickly become addictive (my word of caution). When it comes to plantain chips, you want a plantain that’s in the light green category as it will be firm, easy to peel and easy to slice. To start off with, you’ll need a small knife to score the plantain lengthwise, just through the peel, in order to peel it. These baked plantain chips are a healthy, homemade snack for when you're craving something salty and crunchy. They're naturally gluten-free and paleo.

Plantain chips are a popular snack among Central American, Caribbean, and South American cultures. This particular recipe is based on the freshly fried plantain chips commonly found on street corners and stores in El Salvador—thinly sliced with a sharp knife or mandoline and carefully fried just one time until crisp and crunchy. The technique is easy: start with green plantains, peel them, and cut them into thin slices. Once they're fried, we simply remove them from the oil and them let drain on a wire rack, no paper towels necessary—our testing showed that excess oil wasn't a problem on the finished chips. In Central American countries, the chips are typically seasoned lightly with salt or chile powder and lime juice, but there's nothing stopping you from experimenting with additional seasonings. Working in batches and avoiding crowding the pan, add plantain slices and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown all over, about 4 minutes total. Using a spider or slotted spoon, transfer plantains to wire rack to drain. The fried chips can be held in an airtight container at room temperature for at least 1 day and up to 4, depending on ambient humidity.