This recipe for Plantain Molotes is from the southern State of Oaxaca in Mexico. Molotes are stuffed with cheese and formed in a process similar to that of an empanada, except they have an oblong shape instead. In some other states, they are formed like an empanada and stuffed with cheese and beans, or even with delicious “Picadillo”, like in the State of Tabasco.

Growing up, my mom always made sure to have plantains in the kitchen, since we loved to have them for breakfast, either grilled or fried. I remember that my younger sister didn’t like going to kindergarten, so my mom would make fried plantains with a dollop of cream for breakfast and use that as a bribe to get her to go to school. She would have that for breakfast every single day of the week! Nowadays, we still like to tease her about it from time to time, telling her that she grew up on plantains.