Puerto Rican
Gluten freeJibarito
Plantain steak sandwich
Jibarito: Chicago's Puerto Rican steak sandwich with fried green plantain in place of bread
The jibarito was created in the 1990s at a Puerto Rican restaurant in Chicago's Humboldt Park and is now on menus across the city and back on the island. Instead of bread, two flattened, twice-fried green plantains hold thin garlicky steak, melted cheese, lettuce, tomato and garlic mayonnaise. It contains egg (mayonnaise) and milk. The mistake is using ripe yellow plantains, which are sweet and too soft to hold the filling; you need hard green ones. The plantain is ready when golden and crisp on the outside but still pliable, and the steak needs only a minute a side. Choose a cheese made without animal rennet if you avoid it. Chef's tip: flatten the plantain halves between a folded freezer bag with a heavy pan, so they spread wide and don't stick.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Serves
- 2
- Per serving
- 720 kcal
Ingredients
- 1 green plantainlarge, hard and green
- 2 cups sunflower oil for frying
- 10 ½ oz thin beef sirloin steakpounded to 5 mm
- 3 cloves garliccrushed
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ onionsliced
- 2 slices sliced mild cheese
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 leaves iceberg lettuceshredded
- 1 tomatosliced
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Peel 1 green plantain (cut off the ends, score the skin lengthwise and prise it off) and cut in half lengthwise, then in half across, to make 4 long flat pieces.
Step 2: Heat 2 cups sunflower oil for frying in a deep frying pan to 350°F. Fry the plantain for 4 minutes, turning, until pale gold and just soft. Drain.
4 minStep 3: Flatten each piece between a folded freezer bag with a heavy pan to about 1 cm thick.
Step 4: Fry again at 350°F for 2–3 minutes until crisp and golden. Drain and sprinkle with a pinch of ½ tsp salt.
3 minStep 5: Rub 10 ½ oz thin beef sirloin steak with half the 3 cloves garlic, the rest of the salt and ¼ tsp black pepper. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat, fry ½ onion for 3 minutes, push aside and sear the steak for 1 minute a side until browned with no pink juice running. Lay 2 slices sliced mild cheese on top to melt.
5 minStep 6: Mix 3 tbsp mayonnaise with the rest of the garlic. Spread it on the plantain slices, then build: plantain, steak and cheese, onion, 2 leaves iceberg lettuce, 1 tomato, plantain. Serve at once.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 720 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 55 g
- Fat
- 40 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jibarito take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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