Tostones a lo Puerto Rico
(double-fried plantain side dish)
SIDE DISH
Contributed by Enmanuelle Pardilla-Delgado
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Multicultural Alzheimer’s Prevention Program (MAPP)
Servings: 6
This is a classic Puerto Rican side dish (and other Caribbean countries as well). It brings joy. It works as a snack too, although everything does if
you put your mind to it!
Ingredients
Oil for frying (canola or vegetable work great; quantity depends on whether
you deep fry or skillet fry)
1 green plantain
3 cups cold water
Adobo (or salt if you want to keep it simple) to taste
Me with my Puerto Rican grandparents in
2019. My grandma has taught me a lot of
what I know of my Puerto Rican cooking,
not so much by actual instruction, but by
example in the many years we lived with
them as kids. This includes how to make
the perfect tostones.
Method
1. Peel the plantain and cut it into 1-inch chunks.
TIP: Play with the size, a smaller size will yield thinner tostones which are
crispier, a bigger size will yield more chewiness, although all this will also
depend on how much you flatten them (see step 3).
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet (medium-high temperature). Place the
plantains in the oil and fry on both sides for approximately 3½ minutes
per side. You can also use a pot and more oil and deep fry them. The
skillet method is less messy and it gives you more control.
3. Remove the plantains from the pan and flatten the plantains by placing a
plate over the fried plantains and pressing down. I recommend using two
cutting boards, or, at the very least, putting the plantain on a cutting board
and flattening with a plate.
4. The original recipe said to dip the flattened plantains in water and then
fry, but I recommend preparing a mixture of water + adobo and leaving
the plantains to soak for at least 20 minutes. Take them out and dry them
with paper towels. At this point, you can take them out, dry them, and
store them in the freezer for a while.
5. Bring oil to medium-high heat, place plantains on oil and fry 1 minute on
each side. Let cool for 1 minute before serving. Depending on how salty
you like your side dishes, you can salt them a bit or not (I'd leave this
choice to the consumer).
TIP: Make mayo-ketchup dip, it's the perfect partner for the tostones. It's a
mixture of mayo, ketchup, and a bit of garlic. Ideally, it's fresh minced
garlic but garlic powder will do if in a rush. Experiment with the ratio of
mayo/ketchup/garlic. Should be a nice, beautiful, orangey-pink color.
NOTE: Remember the mayo-ketchup! Make it yourself: don't buy the pre-made one. On a more technical note: I prefer my tostones thin and super
crispy, but some people don't. Experiment with size of chunk, with flattening technique, with soaking time, with heat (although not so much).
Lastly, don't use bananas for this: that's a whole other monster!
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