Recipe Video Tostones Flattened Fried Plantains

TOSTONES (FRIED PLANTAINS)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Place a few plantain slices in the oil, and cook until lightly golden in color, about three minutes. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining slices.
• While the plantain slices are still warm, place them one at a time between two sheets of wax paper, and flatten by hand to 1/4 inch thick. Return flattened slices to the skillet, and continue frying until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, and season with salt and garlic powder.

[RECIPE + VIDEO] TOSTONES (FLATTENED FRIED PLANTAINS)

Steps:

• Peel the plantains (see how to), discard the ends of the plantain and cut the flesh into 1 inch [2.5 cm] thick slices.
• To fry the tostones, heat the oil over medium heat in a small saucepan, and lower the plantain slices into the oil with a slotted spoon. Fry the plantains till light golden (about 5 mins). Flatten the plantains using a tostonera (Amazon affiliate link) to about ¼" [0.5 cm] (I prefer thin tostones as they are crispier and stay so longer). You can also use the bottom of a big jar and press on a cutting table if you don't have a tostonera.Fry the plantains again until they turn golden yellow on both sides (about 5 minutes).
• Sprinkle with salt to taste and serve immediately. Best served freshly fried.

TOSTONES

Steps:

• Trim and discard the ends of the plantains. Use a paring knife to cut a slit along the length of the plantain to easily remove the peel, carefully avoiding cutting into the flesh. If the peel is too firm, use a spoon to lift the edges, then discard the peel. Slice the plantain crosswise into 1-inch rounds (about 8 pieces per plantain).
• In a large skillet, heat about 1/8-inch vegetable oil over medium. When the oil shimmers, add the plantains, flat-side down. Fry until beginning to turn golden, about 1 minute per side.
• While keeping the heat on, transfer plantains to a cutting board. Working with one piece at a time, use a tostonera or large flat-bottomed cup to gently press each plantain to about 1/2-inch thick. (If using a cup, keep it as centered as possible to flatten the plantains evenly.)
• Working in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pan, pan-fry the flattened plantains until golden-brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer tostones to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. While hot, season with salt to taste. Serve immediately.

PUERTO RICAN TOSTONES (FRIED PLANTAINS)

Steps:

• Peel the plantain and cut it into 1-inch chunks.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet. Place the plantains in the oil and fry on both sides,; approximately 3 1/2 minutes per side.
• Remove the plantains from the pan and flatten the plantains by placing a plate over the fried plantains and pressing down.
• Dip the plantains in water, then return them to the hot oil and fry 1 minute on each side. Salt to taste and serve immediately.