Green Plantain Cups

These versatile green plantains are steamed, mixed, and baked into muffin-shaped cups to hold tasty fillings.

Let’s clear up one potential misconception. These Green Plantain Cups are not green. If you are here for something colored green, my apologies. And in that case, I suppose you can always add green food coloring or spinach before making these plantain cups. However, we’re making are muffin-shaped cups comprised of three very green plantains – well, to clarify, their peels are green.

You see, I recently enjoyed eating some plant-based Sope de Chorizo and was inspired to recreate the dish so that I could enjoy it at home whenever I wanted.  In my mind, the cups were made with green plantains, but after doing a little research, I learned that Sope de Chorizo originated in Mexico and the base or sope is traditionally made with masa – a type of corn flour used to make tortillas and tamales. The masa dough is then fried and served with ground chorizo and other toppings.

I know these Green Plantain Cups are not sope and I wouldn’t dare call them that. However, I was already super excited to recreate these cups using green plantains.  As it turns out, I actually prefer the cups made with green plantains. Plus, these plantain cups are not fried and are quite nutritious.  They also turn out slightly softer than the harder chewier version I ate at Epcot.

And while you may be able to make these cups with sweet plantains, the objective and intent here is to use the savory and starchy green plantains, which are unripe. This starchy attribute is more like potatoes and makes it possible to fry green plantains into savory chips, or even make “plantain dough” that allows us to get rather creative.

In fact, these Green Plantain Cups are actually cooked twice. First, you have to cook the plantains so that they’re easier to work with. They are then cooked a second time to hold their shape in the muffin tin.

To make and work with plantain dough, you first need to soften the plantains, without sweetening the plantains that occurs naturally during the ripening process. This is the first time the plantains are cooked. There are three methods that you can use to cook them. You can use a pressure cooker, boil them in a pot on the stove, or microwave them.

To start the first cooking process, cut the ends off of the plantains if they’re too large to fit comfortably inside your Instant Pot.  Then score the plantains by cutting a long horizontal line through the peel – end to end. Then place them in the insert of an Instant Pot using the wire rack, along with some water.  Attach the lid and set the knob to sealing and press start.

It’s really that simple. Allow the pressure to release naturally and remove the lid.

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, remove the ends and cut the plantains in large chunks. Place the plantains in boiling water and cook until tender, about 25 minutes. Then drain off the water, remove the peel from the chunks, and proceed with the recipe.  The third option is to microwave them. It’s the fastest way. Simply score the peel and cook on High for 6-7 minutes. Then remove the peel and proceed with the recipe.

One note about the peels. They will darken during the cooking process and may turn black in the microwave. This is expected and completely normal. Regardless of your preferred cooking method, the plantains will be piping hot! So proceed with caution. And allow them to cool a few minutes.

Once cool, the fun begins!

Remove the peels and ends, if you haven’t already done so. (You can discard the peels.) Cut the plantain in large chunks and place them in the bowl of a food processor. Process the plantains until a dough forms. It’s this dough that allows us to make incredibly versatile Green Plantain Cups.

Trust me, this actually works. It just may take two or three minutes. But eventually, a dough magically forms.

Remove the somewhat sticky dough and knead it together until it’s smooth and well combined. Divide the dough into equal portions and shape each piece into a round ball.

This is an important note. As you well know, muffin tins come in several different sizes. I like using the jumbo size muffin tin with six cups because I like filling them and serving them as an individually portioned entree. However, you can also make these Green Plantain Cups in the standard 12-cup muffin tins. Even better, you can make little miniature versions for some pretty impressive and tasty appetizers.

You can either flatten it on the counter or do it inside the muffin tin. Place the dough balls into a lightly greased muffin tin or silicon muffin pan.

This next bit is fun, but can be a bit tricky.

You want to press down the center of each dough ball to form a cup shape with rounded edges.  While you can use your fingers, I found that a plastic measuring cup works perfectly for this. If you have a glass, jar, or tamping tool that fits, you’re golden.

Once you have your cups molded properly, they are baked in an oven until they are dry and can hold their shape well. When the cups are cool, you can use them in a variety of ways.

These Green Plantain Cups are best served warm, but they are also very good at room temperature. Just be careful not to dry out the cups when reheating. They should hold their form but not be crunchy.

If you aren’t going to use the Green Plantain Cups immediately, you can store them in an airtight container for up to one week in the refrigerator.

I hope you enjoy these Green Plantain Cups as much as I do.  

I would love to see your results! Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!   Enjoy!!   

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Ingredients

• 3 green plantains*

Instructions

1. Cut the ends off of the plantains.  Score the plantains by cutting a long horizontal line through the peel – end to end.
2. In an Instant Pot, place the plantains on a wire rack along with ¾ cup water.  Attach the lid and ensure knob is set to sealing.
3. Cook on High pressure for 8 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally. Remove the lid.

1. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 350° F.
2. Remove the plantains from the Instant Pot and carefully remove and discard the peels.
3. Place the plantains in a food processor.
4. Process the plantains until it eventually forms a dough, which may take 2-3 minutes.

1. Remove the dough and divide the dough into 8 to 12 equal pieces (8 for jumbo muffin cups or 12 for standard muffin tin).
2. Shape each into a ball and flatten slightly.

1. Lightly grease eight to twelve muffin cups (depending on size) and place one dough ball into each cup in a muffin tin.  Press down the center to form a cup shape with rounded edges.

1. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the plantain cups are fully cooked and appear dry.
2. Remove from the oven to cool.  
3. Store the Green Plantain Cups in an air-tight container for up to 7 days in the refrigerator.

Notes

* You want to use green plantains because they’re more starchy and less sweet.  Ripe plantains are yellow with dark spots or lines.

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can either microwave or boil the plantains.  If microwaving, start by scoring the skin and cook for 6-7 minutes. (The peels with turn black in the microwave.). To boil, cut the plantains into large chunks and boil in water for 25 minutes. Then drain off the water, peel the chunks, and proceed with the food processor.

If your dough doesn’t form into a ball, allow the plantain to rest for 20 minutes, then try processing it again. This allows the dough to dry out a little.