This is a quick and easy post of one of my favorite side items. Plantains are an awesome vegetable because there are countless different ways to prepare a plantain, fried, boiled or mashed they are always delicious. One of the most common ways of preparing a green plantain is to make Tostones. As a kid I loved these things. I would probably eat more of them then I would my actual meal.
The name for Tostones comes from the word “tostado” which means to toasted. They are incrediably easy to make and I have yet to serve them to a person who doesn’t enjoy them. I like to cut mine at a 1 inch diagonal so they come out thin and crispy. If you cut them too thick they can be very dry. One very important thing is that you cannot skip the first fry. Green plantains are very hard and have to be par-cooked in order to be able to mash them. If you try to mash before the first fry you are going to hurt yourself and end up with a mess.
Lets make tostones shall we?
First peel your plantain. If you don’t know how go here.
Cut your plantain diagonally into 1 inch slices. You usually get about 6 slices per plantain.
Fry the plantain slices over medium heat, until golden in color and soften.
They should look a little something like this. Drain them in a plate lined with paper towels.
If you don’t have a tostonera which is a press for making tostones, take a paper bag and place a plantain slice on it.
Fold the bag over on the plantain slice and using a can, saucer or what ever you have on hand, press down on the plantain slice.
TA-DA! Flat plantain!
Then dredge the flat plantain in a bowl of salted water and drop back into the frying pan. Stand back because it will spit at you.
Fry until golden and crisp, drain in plate lined with paper towels and sprinkle with salt.
I like mine with a bit of ketchup on the side. Some people do a mix of mayo and ketchup and some like a garlic sauce on the side. I choose ketchup.
Yum! You don’t have to have them with ketchup but that is how I like mine.
Trust me they will be all gone in just a few minutes. I have to hurry before Obed comes and steals them. He is hovering behind me….back off holmes!
Tostones (Fried Plantains)
- 3 green plantains
- salt
- water
- oil for frying
Peel plantain and cut diagonally into 1 inch slices.
Fry the plantain slices over medium heat, until golden in color and soften. Drain them in a plate lined with paper towels.
If you don’t have a tostonera which is a press for making tostones, take a paper bag and place a plantain slice on it. Fold the bag over on the plantain slice and using a can, saucer or what ever you have on hand, press down on the plantain slice to flatten.
Dredge the flat plantains in a bowl of salted water and drop back into the frying pan. Stand back because it will spit at you. Fry until golden and crisp, drain in plate lined with paper towels and sprinkle with salt.
Serve with ketchup or garlic sauce.
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Hey try tostones (or aranitas, even sorullos) with Mayo-ketchup.
Mix a couple of tablespoons of Mayo with ketchup, add a mashed garlic and some ground pepper. Just adjust the quantities “a tu gusto”. Riquisimo
I love mayo-ketchup. Great tip. Nothing beats tostones. The Noshery rocks!!! Lol. ^_^
Now I know how to make moist tostones. Thanks for the tip! When I cooked them they were dry and didn’t know what I did wrong.
those look goooood! My picky 5yo happens to love tostones, the rest of us prefer amarillos (fried in butter, then seasoned with garlic salt). I’ll have to try making them this way, I hate frying but maybe it’s time I make tostones again
Thanks for the reminder!
Oh, there’s a version of the mayo-ketchup sauce called Salsa Golf that I found in Elisabeth Lambert-Ortiz’s “Book of Latin American Cooking” that is seriously wicked good, you should definitely try it.
Hola felicitaciones por el blog!! La verdad no lo conocía, tengo familia en Puerto Rico y he ido twice. Actualmente vivo en Uruguay (a mini country between Arg y Brasil Amo los tostones, son deliciosos!! Ahora voy a poder hacerlos en casa así que gracias!!
I make tostones ahead of time, you can fry them the first time, When I mash them, I use a pilon which I am sure you have and stick the small end in the middle so it forms like a flour. I then soak them in garlic salt water and fry, they are very crunchy when done like that. you can dip them in garlic salt water then freeze and take them out as you need them.
What is the reason you soak the plantains in water. I was told to soak them prior to frying the first time. Just wondering what is the reasoning?
You don’t have to soak them before frying the first time. You only have to dip them in salted water before frying, it help to make them crispier.
I love tostones! My father’s family is Puertorican and these were a staple at my house growing up. We always have a tomato sauce with them. It has a dash of garlic, salt, and pepper. I am so hungry for them now! I also think I will have to try my hand at alcalpurrias-haven’t had them in a long time. They are my favorite!
The best sides to eat fried plantains (Patacones in Costa Rica) is with refried black beans, pico de gallo and some guacamole. This is not a french fry, so ketchup and mayo are highly discouraged. Besides, doesn’t fresh tomatoes, onions, cilantro and avocado sound so much better?!
OH!!!! que maravilla encontrar patacones aqui!!!!
Thank you indeed for the recipe
CAta
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