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Tajadas con repollo
Tajadas: San Pedro Sula's green-plantain chips with cabbage, tomato sauce and cheese
Walk any street in San Pedro Sula at lunchtime and you will see paper plates of tajadas: long, crunchy slices of green plantain buried under shredded cabbage, a thin tomato sauce and crumbled dry cheese. Honduran stalls often add fried chicken on top; this meat-free plate keeps the crunch, the sharp vinegary cabbage and the salty cheese, which is all it needs. Dry Honduran cheese is normally set with animal rennet, so pick a vegetarian feta if that matters to you. Cutting the plantain too thick is the classic mistake: thick slices turn leathery instead of crisp. Chef's tip: slice the plantain lengthways on a mandoline about 2 mm thick and drop the slices into the oil one at a time so they don't stick together.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the cabbage
- 10 ½ oz white cabbagevery finely shredded
- 3 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 limejuiced
- 1 tsp saltdivided
For the tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ onionfinely chopped
- 1 clove garliccrushed
- 3 ripe tomatoeschopped
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
For the tajadas
- 3 green plantainsfirm and fully green
- 2 cups vegetable oilfor frying
To serve
- 2 ⅞ oz dry crumbly cheese (queso seco)crumbled; vegetarian if needed
- ½ cup sour cream (optional)Honduran mantequilla rala if you can find it
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What you'll need
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Toss 10 ½ oz white cabbage with 3 tbsp white vinegar, 1 lime and half of ½ tsp salt. Leave to soften while you cook; it should go limp and tangy.
15 minStep 2: Warm 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a small pan over a medium heat and soften ½ onion and 1 clove garlic for 4 minutes. Add 3 ripe tomatoes, ¼ tsp ground cumin and a pinch of the remaining salt and simmer for 10 minutes.
14 minStep 3: Blend the tomato mixture until smooth and thin it with a splash of water to a pouring sauce.
Step 4: Cut the ends off 3 green plantains, score the skin lengthways and peel it off with your thumb. Slice the plantains lengthways into long strips about 2 mm thick.
Step 5: Heat 2 cups vegetable oil in a deep pan to 350°F, or until a slice bubbles hard straight away. Fry the slices in batches for 2–3 minutes, turning once, until pale gold and they sound hollow when tapped.
10 minStep 6: Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with the rest of ½ tsp salt while hot.
Step 7: Pile the tajadas on plates, top with a big handful of drained cabbage, spoon over the tomato sauce and finish with 2 ⅞ oz dry crumbly cheese (queso seco) and a drizzle of ½ cup sour cream. Eat at once, before the chips soften.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tajadas con repollo take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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 white cabbage?
- Savoy or spring greens, same weight.
- What can I use instead of white vinegar?
- Cider vinegar or rice vinegar, same amount.
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