Plantain and Black Bean Enchiladas with Suya Crema

Ripe plantain and black beans already share a table across West Africa and Latin America in their own separate dishes, so rolling them together into corn tortillas and baking them enchilada-style felt like an obvious next step. The natural sweetness of caramelized plantain plays well against the smokiness of red enchilada sauce.

This is a vegetarian dinner — no meat in the filling or the sauce, just plantain, beans, cheese, and a suya-spiced sour cream crema drizzled on at the end. That crema is where the Nigerian suya spice comes in: a small spoonful stirred into sour cream with a little lime juice, just enough to add warmth without overwhelming the dish.

Sauté the plantain until it's genuinely golden before rolling it into the tortillas — this is where most of the dish's flavor develops. Baked until the cheese is fully melted and the sauce is bubbling at the edges, about 20 minutes, it holds together well enough to serve straight from the dish.