I am so very excited to be sharing this guest post from my good friend Cristina from The Castaway Kitchen. She has already shared two mouth-watering dishes with us here, be sure to make her "Chocolate" No-Bake Flan and Instant Pot Chicken Vaca Frita! And today she is sharing a simple yet incredibly delicious recipe for Cuban-style boniato frito.
Boniato (aka batata, camote or Cuban sweet potato) is one of many lovely tropical starches you may not be familiar with in the US, but it is a variety of sweet potato eaten in the Caribbean and elsewhere in Latin America as well as in parts of Asia. The word "boniato" is Spanish for "sweet potato", but it refers to a specific kind that is typically only sold in Latin or Asian grocery stores (unless you live in Florida, then they're everywhere!)
If you are following Paleo, AIP, or Whole30 then boniato are an awesome addition to your diet!
Boniato typically have an irregular shape and feature white flesh with a reddish-brown, almost purplish skin. You can see a picture of them and read more about them here.
The texture is drier, mealier, and less sweet than the yellow-fleshed variety of sweet potato typically eaten in the US. The flavor is unique with a slight nuttiness that can work well in both sweet and savory dishes. You can find more recipes using this tropical starch and others like yuca, taro, malanga, true yams, calabaza, plantains, and green bananas in my best-selling cookbook Latin American Paleo Cooking. You can get a copy on Amazon or order an autographed copy directly from me!
To learn more about some of these tropical starches, check out this blog post - there are so many wonderful nightshade-free replacements for white potatoes if you start shopping at International markets!
And speaking of cookbooks.....I ams so freaking excited to be able to tell you that Cristina also wrote a cookbook, and it is going to release on July 3rd this year! She focuses on lower-carb keto modified AIP recipes and her whole cookbook (147 recipes) is nut-free, and nightshade-free.
There are 110 AIP recipes, 91 coconut free recipes, 116 egg free recipes and 117 sweetener-free, whole ingredients, paleo recipes!
I have known about this from day one and am so glad I was able to share my insight and experience with Cristina about the cookbook writing process. I have wanted to share this for soooo long and am really glad the cat is finally out of the bag :-)
Latin American Paleo Cooking + Made Whole are pretty much a match made in heaven if you're looking for flavorful anti-inflammatory recipes that suit both Paleo and AIP templates (my book is almost entirely AIP or adaptable.....read the FAQ here.)
Please go ahead and pre-order your copy of Made Whole. Remember, when you pre-order a book on Amazon you don't pay until release day AND you pay whatever the lowest price the book hits between the day you pre-order and release day (hint: books always drop in price closer to publication date).
That is enough from me....let me hand it over to Cristina and let you start enjoying this simple yet delicious dish! Remember, the more variety you have in your diet, the better. So don't be shy to try new things like boniato, your gut microbes will thank you :-)
When my dad came to visit me last year we loved seeing all these tubers he grew up eating. I really hadn’t realized that sweet potatoes were so prevalent in Latin cuisine! The white fleshed variety is what my father, a guajiro (farmer) from Cuba referred to as boniato. Then it came back to me, the fried chunks of sweet and salty that my Abuela would serve up with fricase de pollo. Yum!
These are super easy to make. I use coconut oil for frying, and just like my Abuela, I strain and store the oil for later use. No way I’m tossing two cups of oil after once use. Yes, two cups. Sometimes, you just have to go for the deep fry. But when you’re using anti-inflammatory coconut oil, it’s all good!
I like to cut them into trozos (pieces), but you can always cut them into ruedas (rounds) or even tiritas (strips). Fried to golden, crispy perfection then tossed in salt with a teaspoon of sweetener, these Cuban style fries are nothing short of addicting.
Serve up with Cilantro Aioli (from Latin American Paleo Cooking - egg-free AIP mayo version included!) and buen provecho!
Cuban-Style Boniato Frito - AIP, Paleo, Whole30
Published 02/19/2018
Boniato, aka Cuban sweet potato, is a delicious tropical starch to add variety to your Paleo or AIP diet! Guest recipe from Cristina of The Castaway Kitchen.
Ingredients
- 2 large boniato (white sweet potato)
- 2 cups unrefined coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon unrefined salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sweetener of preference, like this (omit if avoiding added sweeteners)
Instructions
- In a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat the coconut oil over medium high heat.
- In the meantime peel and dice the boniato in to ½ inch chucks. I like to cut my potato into quarters and cut each quarter in to 2-3 pieces.
- Insert a wooden spoon in the oil to check if it’s ready. When the spoon sizzles in the oil, it’s hot enough. Add in all of the potato and fry, stirring gently every 2 minutes for 10 minutes or until all of the pieces are golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to remove and drain the crispy potato chunks.
- Place in a large bowl and toss with salt and sweetener. Serve with your favorite dip, although I highly recommend cilantro aioli!
Cook time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.
Total time: 20 mins.
Tags: AIP, Paleo, Autoimmune Protocol, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Boniato, Batata, Cuban sweet potato
This gluten- and dairy-free green bean casserole is just as quick and easy to make as the original, but without the allergens and additives.