Golden Tostones - Puerto Rican fried plantains are calling your name! These beauties are easy to make, positively addictive bite-sized treats, and the perfect crispy, salty snack.
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OMG! Fried plantain craving ALERT, all thanks to my bestie Clarissa!
She wouldn't stop raving about these crispy, crunchy, CRAZY-good patties, and who can resist that kind of food excitement?
Plus, fried plantains have been on my "gotta-try" list for ages, so this seemed like the perfect intro! Luckily, Clarissa's the queen of sharing and totally hooked us up with the recipe.
Now, about that tostonera.
Clarissa mentioned this little gadget called a "tostonera" – I'd never even heard of it! Apparently, it flattens and squishes the plantain slices before the second fry-up for ultimate patty perfection. And that squishing step? Yep, a GAME CHANGER! The few "escapee" slices I didn't crush just weren't the same level of crispy, golden-fried-bomb goodness.
Clarissa suggested improvising if you don't want to buy a new kitchen gadget (been there, done that!), so I went MacGyver on those plantain patties.
Parchment paper + can of beans = DIY tostonera!
It worked ... kind of. So basically, you have NO excuse to skip out on this delicious Caribbean snack – tostonera or no tostonera!
That being said, if you're a fried plantain convert like I am (and let's be real, who wouldn't be?), a tostonera is a total lifesaver. It makes things SO much easier, is adorable (seriously, it's like a mini patty press!), and won't break the bank. Just sayin'!
By Clarissa G.
Here is how my friend Alba, a wonderful lady who lives in the US, prepares plantains - a staple food on her native island of Puerto Rico. It was in her kitchen 30 years ago that I ate plantain for the first time. When we visited Alba and her husband late last year she cooked plantain for us again, and this time I looked, listened and learned.
Plantains are relatively easy to come by in Southern USA. In Europe, you can find them in the exotic fruit & veg section of your supermarket or at an Asian or Chinese grocery store. Plantains ripen slowly, unlike bananas, which become mushy fairly quickly. You can buy plantains when they are green and hard and store them for quite some time.
If you want to try the recipe below, the plantains need to be green (don't use plantains with yellow or black peel, they are too ripe for making patties). Reckon with two plantains for three people.
For making the patties a small wooden press called tostonera comes in handy. A tostonera looks like two miniature cutting boards, one with a handle and one without, that are attached to each other with a hinge. On the inside of one of the boards is a circular indentation approximately 5 inches (7 cm) across. (If this description doesn’t make sense to you, best search the Internet for photos from stockists.) You can also improvise by using two regular cutting boards or a plate and a spatula. Or make your own tostonera if you are a keen woodworker. If you do, make the circle larger in diameter than an average plantain slice, and leave the wood untreated.
We had plantain as a warm topping on a leafy salad, as an accompaniment to tofu and rice, and by itself as a snack. It tasted wonderful in all cases.
So here’s how it goes.
🍽 Recipe
Golden Tostones: Irresistible Fried Plantains Snack
Equipment
Instructions
- Peel the plantains and cut them into 1 inch (1½ cm) slices.
- Heat oil in a deep pan and deep fry the patties until they are a slightly brown colour.
- Remove the patties from the pan.
- Place a plantain slice into the carved-out circle of the tostonera (or whatever you are using instead) and squash it to make a flat, round patty. Proceed like this with all fried patties.
- Return the patties to the pan with the hot oil and fry them a second time, until of golden brown color.
- Drain on a kitchen towel, sprinkle with salt (generously if health permits, it really does make a difference!) while they are still warm.
- Eat them while warm. You can keep them warm in an oven for a while. They’ll lose some of their crispness, but are still good!
Huge thanks to Clarissa for sharing her amazing plantain recipe!
While frying is the traditional way to make Puerto Rican Tostones (fried plantain patties), I recently discovered the magic of oven-baked plantain chips. It's a fantastic option if you're looking for a more straightforward method that skips the frying.
Yet, I find the oven-roasted ones just lack that extra oomph. Fried plantains? Crispier, richer, and downright delicious! Want the best of both worlds? Crush the oven-baked version halfway through baking for that perfect crunch.
For more baked chip inspo, check out Ela Vegan or Simple Vegan Blog. And for the ultimate tostones guide, Host the Toast has you covered!
So, which will it be? Team Fried or Team Baked? Let me know in the comments below!
Wishing you planty of crispy, crunchy, snackable delights,
Ramona
Psst ... you'll also like these Irresistible Tamari Almonds and the Crispy Kale Chips.
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