• Place plantains (whole and unpeeled) in a large pot. Pour 1 cup of water into the pot and gently steam at medium heat for about 12-15 minutes, or until the banana peels start to burst open and the bananas look cooked.
• Remove the bananas and let them drain any excess liquid. Peel and place in a large bowl.
• Mash the plantains using a potato masher. Let them cool for at least one hour, this way the plantain mix will be easier to handle (I usually cook them early in the morning or the night before I plan to make the molotes). You can place the mashed plantains in the fridge to cool.
• Heat the oil to medium-low. This detail is important, because if the oil is too hot the molotes will burn quickly due to the plantain’s high sugar content.
• To form the molotes, place about ⅓ cup of the plantain mixture over the plastic and spread it as if you were making a tortilla. Next, spread on about ½ tablespoon of the beans and top with one stick of cheese. Proceed to
• fold the mixture in half like when forming an empanada, by holding the edges of the plastic. Now, using your hands, gently shape the molotes into an oblong shape.
• Gently place each molote into the hot oil and fry, carefully watching so as to not burn them. Turn as needed to obtain a light golden brown color. Once done, remove and place over paper napkins to absorb any excess oil.

Wait until they cool off a little before you eat them, as they retain a lot of heat.

If your mixture is too wet due to over-ripe plantains or because they released too much moisture while steaming, add some all-purpose flour to the plantain mixture. The amount needed will depend on how wet it is, and you will know the mixture is good to work with when it is easy to from the molotes.