Tostones
You know those foods that are so versatile that you can do just about anything with them?
Pair them with any other food, make them a main course, side dish, hell you can make them the main course and the side dish all in the same meal, well… The plantain is that food for Dominicans, it is the egg of our world. Today we are talking about appetizer/side dish version of serving plantains called “Tostones” or “Mashed Plantains”.
Now I know “Mangu” is also called Mashed plantain, this is a little different kind of a mashed, its more of a pressing, flattening rather than a smashing. Check out the recipe, not only is it the easiest thing to make, but extremely addicting to eat!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
4 peeled green plantains, and cut into 1-inch pieces
salt and garlic powder to taste
Directions:
1. Place oil in a large skillet and heat in medium heat, place pieces of plantains in the skillet and heat until they soften (5 – 10 mins), you may have to turn plantains around depending on how shallow the oil is in your pan.
2. Use a plantain press to mash each piece until it is about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. If you don’t have one of those, clean a regular tin can, and use it to press the plantain, alternatively any hard, clean flat surface can be used to flatten the plantain. Press all of the pieces.
3. Take the flattened plantain pieces and place them back in the hot skillet then fry until crispy, 3 minutes per side. Dry of grease by placing the plantain on napkins and season with salt and garlic to taste while the plantains are still warm.