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Chifles
Chifles: Piura's thin, crisp green-plantain chips
Bags of chifles hang from every shop door in Piura and Sullana, and on the northern coast they come alongside almost everything: ceviche, seco, a cold drink at the beach. They are green plantains sliced paper-thin, lengthwise or in rounds, fried until glassy and crisp, then salted. The flavour is starchy and lightly nutty, the crunch is louder than a potato crisp, and they keep for days in a tin. Getting the slices even is what matters most: thick and thin slices fry at different speeds, and the thick ones end up leathery while the thin ones burn, so use a mandoline set to 1–2 mm. Use firm, fully green plantains; any yellow means sugar, which browns too fast. Chef's tip: soak the slices in salted water for 10 minutes, then dry them completely before frying; they crisp more evenly and stay pale gold.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Cut the ends off 3 green plantains, score the skin lengthwise along the ridges and peel it off in strips. Rub your hands with oil first, as the sap stains.
Step 2: Slice the plantains 1–2 mm thick on a mandoline, lengthwise for long chips or across for rounds. Soak in a bowl of cold water with 1 tsp salt for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 3: Drain and dry the slices thoroughly between clean tea towels until no wet spots remain.
Step 4: Heat 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a deep, heavy pan to 350°F, no more than a third full. Fry the slices in small batches, separating them as they go in, until they stop bubbling hard and turn pale gold and crisp, 2–3 minutes.
15 minStep 5: Lift out onto paper towels and sprinkle at once with the rest of 1 tsp salt. Cool completely and store airtight.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chifles take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
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