"[In rural Nigeria] electricity is not a thing, the Internet is not a place. There's a real sum value to procuring food, and that's why we don't waste it. Because if you want a 10-piece chicken wing bucket, you gotta raise five chickens. Everything was so meaningful, and so intentional, so rooted in tradition. For me [living there] was a master class on being a good citizen in the world."

I’m really pleased to have with me on today’s episode of Food with Mark Bittman the talented chef Kwame Onwuachi, who grew up in both the Bronx and rural Nigeria, and whose upbringing shaped him in a profound way — more even than most, I’d say — the way he thinks about food today, culminating in his brand new cookbook, My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef.

When I finished my talk with Onwuachi, I felt I’d learned as much about myself as I did about him. It was a really thoughtful and interesting conversation, and I hope you feel the same way. Please listen — and, of course, make Onwuachi’s Sweet Plantains (recipe below).

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Please listen, subscribe, and review. And we’d love to hear your food-related questions, as we’d like to start doing live Q&A: Email us: food@markbittman.com.

Thank you, as always. — Mark

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Sweet Plantains

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Plantains are among the most widely grown and important crops in the world. Starchier and more robust than their cousin, the banana, you’ll find them everywhere from India to the West Coast of Africa, Latin and South America, the Caribbean, and up to Louisiana and Florida, often as a cash crop and as a staple starch. Hardy and plentiful, the plantain is a versatile ingredient not unlike a potato or cassava. Depending on their level of ripeness, plantains can be savory or sweet. They can be ground into flour; they can be mashed into fritters and fried; they can be baked; they can be roasted. Growing up in the Bronx, I was exposed mostly to plantains at Dominican or Puerto Rican restaurants, where they generally came either alongside oxtail stew as tostones, twice-fried and savory, or after the meal, as these maduros, softer, sweeter, and made from riper fruit. The avocado crema, my own addition, adds a touch of acidity that complements the sweetness of the plantain. — My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef

Ingredients

For the avocado crema

• 1 ripe avocado

• 1 clove garlic

• 3/4 cup sour cream

• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise

• Juice of 1 lime

• Kosher salt, to taste

For the plantains

• Vegetable oil, such as canola, for frying

• 2 very ripe (mostly black) plantains, sliced 3/4 inch thick on the bias

• Kosher salt, to taste

Instructions

For the avocado crema

Peel and pit the avocado and scoop the flesh into a bowl of a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients, seasoning to taste with salt, and purée until smooth. Set aside while you fry the plantains.

For the plantains

In a large pan over medium-high heat, heat 1/8 inch oil to 350°F. Add the plantains and cook, flipping every 3 minutes or so, until deeply golden brown, soft, and juicy, about 12 minutes total. Remove the fried plantains to a plate lined with paper towel, and sprinkle with salt.

Serve fried plantains immediately, with avocado crema for dipping. Any leftover crema will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

— Recipe from My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef

Sweet Plantains

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