Guatemalan Rellenitos: Sweet Plantain and Black Bean Bites with Cinnamon

Cut the unpeeled plantains into 3-inch lengths and simmer them with the cinnamon stick in salted water for 20 to 25 minutes, until a knife slides through easily.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 5 very ripe plantains, skins mostly black
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, drained
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar or panela, plus 1/4 cup for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus 1 teaspoon for dusting
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping
• Neutral oil, for frying
• Mexican crema or sour cream, to serve
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

1. Cut the unpeeled plantains into 3-inch lengths and simmer them with the cinnamon stick in salted water for 20 to 25 minutes, until a knife slides through easily.
2. Drain, cool just enough to handle, then slip off the peels and mash the flesh smooth with the salt while still warm. Work in the flour to make a soft, pliable dough and let it cool completely.
3. Meanwhile, blend or mash the black beans into a thick paste with a splash of their liquid.
4. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, add the bean paste, 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until it pulls away from the pan in a thick fudgy mass. Cool, then roll into 18 small balls.
5. With floured hands, flatten about 2 tablespoons of plantain dough into a disc, set a bean ball in the center, and seal the dough around it into a smooth oval.
6. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, keeping the finished rellenitos on a floured tray.
7. Heat 1 inch of oil to 350°F in a heavy pan and fry the rellenitos in batches for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and crisp all over.
8. Drain briefly on a rack, then roll each one in the remaining brown sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon while still hot.
9. Serve warm with a spoonful of crema and a scatter of sesame seeds.
10. Rellenitos de plátano are one of Guatemala's most beloved street sweets, sold from carts and comedores in the late afternoon alongside atol. The pairing of black beans with sugar surprises visitors, but it belongs to a long Mesoamerican tradition of treating beans as a sweet rather than strictly savory ingredient — the same instinct that gives us sweet red bean paste across Asia. Very ripe plantains are non-negotiable here: their sugars have to be fully developed, or the dough will be starchy and dull instead of caramel-rich.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 380 kcal
• Protein: 6g
• Fat: 11g
• Carbohydrates: 68g
• Fiber: 7g
• Sugar: 31g
• Sodium: 180mg