Tostones
Tostones are one of the many ways I grew up eating plantain in the Caribbean and it’s very common in Latin America. Tostones are basically twice fried green plantains. By the second time around you end up with crispy plantains that function as a side or a little snack. Just think about layering some mango guacamole on top of a crispy toston, yuuuuuum.
I’m very particular about the shade of green plantain I get, it needs to be just right for the way I like my tostones. That’s why I look for a lighter green plantain, not completely green. They are easier to handle and are still at the point where they are not sweet at all. If you’ve never had green plantain you can compare it to having a neutral flavor like potato. On the other side of the spectrum you have ripe plantains which are more like a banana in flavor.
As I mentioned before there are many ways you can prepare plantain, bake, boil, steam, fry or grill. Over the course of the summer I will be sharing other easy ways to prepare your plantains to get the most out of them. For now you can definitely get started with the toston.
Tostones
Ingredients
- 2 light green plantains
- ¼ cup coconut oil + extra
- Salt
Instructions
- Cut the ends of the plantains and make 2 incisions lengthwise into the peel on opposite sides. this will make it easier to peel.
- Slice plantains into 2 cm slices.
- In a pan heat up the coconut oil on medium heat. Depending on your pan you might need to add more coconut oil, you'll want the coconut oil to reach at least half the height of your sliced plantains, so 1 cm.
- Place the plantains in the pan and fry on each side for 1 minute or until light golden brown.
- Once removed place fried plantain on a paper towel to drain excess oil.
- Flatten the fried plantains between 2 flat surfaces. You can use whatever you have at hand, cutting board, bottom of a plate or tortilla press. Just make sure you apply even pressure to get it evenly flattened.
- Place the flattened plantains back in the pan and fry them on both sides for another minute or until crisp.
- Remove from pan and allow any excess oil to drain on paper towel.
- Sprinkle salt on them and repeat process till you finish re-frying all plantains.