Starters & appetizers
Colombian Aborrajados
Colombian aborrajados: fried ripe plantain stuffed with cheese and guava paste, battered and fried golden. Serves 4 (8 aborrajados), in 60 minutes.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Cuisine
- Colombian
Ingredients
For assembling
For the batter
For frying
Method
Prepare the ingredients
Have ready 4 ripe plantains with yellow, black-spotted skin, 200 g white cheese, 100 g guava paste, 120 g flour and 1 egg. Cut the cheese into 8 slices 1 cm thick and the guava paste into 8 thin strips.
Cut the plantain
Peel the plantains and cut them lengthwise into strips 1 cm thick, 4 to 5 per plantain. Pick the 16 most even ones and save the rest for another use.
Fry the strips
Heat 600 ml oil in a deep skillet to 170 °C. Fry the strips in batches, 2 minutes per side, until golden. Drain them on paper towels and leave the oil in the skillet.
Make the batter
Whisk 120 g flour, 1 egg, 100 ml water and ¼ teaspoon salt into a thick, smooth batter that coats the back of a spoon.
Assemble the aborrajados
Put a slice of cheese and a strip of guava paste on a fried plantain strip, cover with another strip and secure with a toothpick. Repeat until you have 8 aborrajados.
Coat in batter
Hold each aborrajado with a fork, dip it in the batter and let the excess drip off. Do this right before frying.
Fry the aborrajados
Fry them in the same oil at 170 °C, 3 at a time, 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden and crisp and the cheese has melted.
Drain and serve
Drain them for 2 minutes on a rack lined with paper towels, remove the toothpicks and serve hot with lime and Colombian ají sauce. Careful: the cheese inside is very hot.
The step photos are illustrative.
Notes
Nutrition facts
1 serving (2 aborrajados)
- Protein
- 18.5 g
- Carbohydrates
- 107 g
- Fat
- 30.9 g
- Sodium
- 488 mg
Estimate per serving. Absorbed oil and cheese vary by technique and brand.
Reference source: USDA FoodData Central — SR Legacy (2018)
For general information only; it does not replace advice from a qualified health or nutrition professional.
About this recipe
Colombian aborrajados are made by frying strips of ripe plantain, building a sandwich with them filled with white cheese and guava paste, dipping it in a flour and egg batter and frying it again until golden and crisp outside, with the cheese melted inside.
They take 25 minutes of prep and about 35 of frying. They serve 4, 2 aborrajados each.
Frequently asked questions
Which plantain do you use for aborrajados?
Ripe plantains, with yellow, black-spotted or almost black skin. The riper they are, the sweeter and the better they brown.
What cheese can I use?
A white cheese that melts, such as queso campesino or mozzarella. Avoid very salty or dry cheeses, which do not melt.
How do I keep the cheese from leaking while frying?
Cover well with the second strip, secure with a toothpick, coat completely in batter and fry at 170 °C without crowding the skillet.
