The SalviSoul Cookbook preserves memories through recipes, stories
For Salvadoran-American food historian Karla Tatiana Vasquez, what started as a quest to document the recipes of her past transformed into the preservation of history from the spoken accounts of grandmothers, mothers and friends.
In “The SalviSoul Cookbook: Salvadoran Recipes and the Women Who Preserve Them” (Ten Speed Press, 2024), Vasquez shares these women’s experiences, including their lives in El Salvador before the Salvadoran Civil War, and how they acclimated to subsequent life in the United States. Recipes and their context, are woven among these stories.
Fried plantains with beans is a Salvadoran breakfast staple
Just like pancakes in the U.S. or congee in China, platanos fritos con frijoles licuados (fried plantains with pureed black beans) is the quintessential Salvadoran breakfast. Although El Salvador’s national dish is the pupusa, Vasquez described the importance of this particular dish with an analogy in “The SalviSoul Cookbook”:
“If platanos and frijoles were musical recording artists, this dish, fried plantains with pureed frijoles, would be the single that goes platinum.”
Where to find plantains
Plantains can be found in many Latin American grocery stores in metro Atlanta. Buford Highway Farmers Market has a large selection, as does Your DeKalb Farmers Market. Some chain grocery stores also have fresh plantains in select locations.
How to choose ripe plantains
Look for plantains that are mostly black, or have black patches. Avoid the green ones, which are used for tostones. To ripen your plantains quickly, put them in a paper bag at room temperature until they turn mostly black.
Tips for frying in coconut oil
The recipe calls for frying in coconut oil. Not only is it stable in high-heat frying, it enhances the sweetness of the plantains with a hint of toasted coconut.
Be sure not to crowd the pan, or the plantains won’t achieve that crispy, caramelized exterior and will become soggy.
Platanos Fritos Con Frijoles Licuados (Fried Plantains with Pureed Black Beans)
Cuajada, a mild, fresh Salvadoran cheese, and crema Salvadorena, a Salvadoran sour cream, are sold at Buford Highway Farmers Market and Hispanic grocery stores. Cuajada can also be found in the specialty cheese section of select chain grocery stores.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 pound dried black beans, sorted for debris and rinsed
- 3 garlic cloves, left whole
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- ½ medium white onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 ripe plantains
- ½ cup coconut oil
Cuajada
Crema Salvadorena for serving
Instructions:
- In a large pot over high heat, bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Add the beans and garlic. Once the beans start to boil, turn the heat to low and let simmer, uncovered, until they become tender, about 2 hours. Check the beans and stir them every 30 minutes, adding more water to cover as needed; do not let them burn. When the beans are tender, season with the salt. Allow them to cook until the liquid has reduced by one-third, about 20 minutes more.
- In a blender, combine the cooked beans, 2 cups of their cooking liquid, and 2 tablespoons of the onion. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the vegetable oil until it shimmers. Add the remaining onion and cook until tender and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the blended beans (carefully, to minimize splatter). Return the pan to medium-high heat and cook until the beans are creamy and thick, 10 minutes more. Set aside.
- Cut the ends off the plantains and remove the peel from the flesh. Slice each plantain in half, then each half into three flat slices. Set aside.
- In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, melt the coconut oil. In batches, carefully add the plantain slices and fry until the edges caramelize, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the fried slices to a plate and pat dry with paper towels.
- Serve the plantains immediately with the beans, and cuajada and crema Salvadorena on the side.
Recipe adapted and reprinted with permission from “The SalviSoul Cookbook” by Karla Tatiana Vasquez, copyright 2024. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House.