My grandmother used to have a small kiosk that she’d put up in no time during the busy summer days, and she would sell all kinds of food there; fish, clams, shrimp, arepas, empanadas, fried plantain and more. Sometimes she would send us (kids) to walk down the beach with a tray full of tasty treats she had just made so that we could help her sales. Tostones with salad were one of those beach snacks she made often. We would make them at home often with the plantains from our backyard plants.
Plantain is just like a banana but you must cook it, it cannot be eaten raw. Fried plantain is eaten all over Latin America, usually made with ripe plantain. Tostones are made with unripe plantain and they are fried twice. Plantains can be cut lengthwise for large portions, or the way I prefer it is in 3/4 inch rounds for a bite-size portion. In Venezuela, they are typically served as a side dish with fried fish at any beach or as a snack. Topped with white cheese, cilantro sauce or coleslaw. The name varies depending on the country, also known as patacones or papalinas. If you have run across plantains at your local store and didn’t know what exactly to make with them, here is a great idea to start, grab your knife, and let’s get cooking!
Ingredients:
Servings: about 16 individual portions
- 2 green plantains
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and cut in half
- Salt to taste
Method:
Heat the oil using a large frying pan over medium heat. With a sharp knife make a shallow cut all the way down on the plantain peel, trying to cut the peel only. Repeat two more times, until you have 3 sections. Hold the plantain firmly and with the help of the knife pull the peel back, one section at a time. Keep in mind that green plantain is not as easy to peel as ripen ones or a banana.
Cut rounds of 3/4 inch, depending on the size you should get about 8 pieces out of each plantain.
Fry the pieces of plantain in the canola oil until golden, about 2 minutes, it should not cook all the way through. Turn them over and cook the other side, about two minutes. Transfer halfway cooked plantain to a flat surface, like a cutting board. Let cool a couple of minutes. With the back of a large plate or another cutting board, smash the plantain gently. Rub on both sides with the cut side of the garlic clove and return to the frying oil, cook over medium heat until it’s cooked through, about 1 minute per side. The outside should be crunchy and golden. Transfer to paper towels to absorb the excess oil, sprinkle with salt to taste.
Top Tostones with your favorite slaw, or simply dip on your favorite sauce. Enjoy!