Best Two Tone Tostones Recipes

DOMINICAN TOSTONES (FRIED PLANTAINS)

Steps:

• Peel the plantains and cut into 1-inch thick slices.
• In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Fry the plantains until lightly golden on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel.
• Using the bottom of a bottle, small saucepan, or tostonera if you have one, press down the plantains to flatten them to about half their original size.
• Return the pressed plantains to the hot oil. Fry until crisp around the edges, about 2 minutes on each side.

TOSTONES RECIPE

Steps:

• Slice the ends off of the plantains. Make three vertical cuts along the length of the plantain, only making sure that you are cutting into the skin. Under cold running water, using your fingers or a butter knife (the tip of your knife works best) to remove the skins. With a sharp knife, cut each plantain into ¾-inch to 1-inch slices. Set aside.
• Mix the 3 cups of water and salt together (just until the salt is dissolved). Place the thick rounds in the salt water for ½ hour or no less than 10 minutes.
• In the meantime, prepare the Ajillo: Using a mortar and pestle, pound the salt and garlic together. Add in the cilantro and break it down until it's pasty. Once that's done, mix in the olive oil and adjust the salt to taste. Alternatively, you can use a food processor or finely chop the cilantro, grate the garlic, and mix everything together.
• To make the Mayo Ketchup Sauce: In a small bowl, combine ketchup, mayonaisse, and garlic, and set aside (this will be good for up to 3 days, covered, in the refrigerator).
• Remove the plantain slices from the water and dry them well with paper towel or a kitchen towel. This will prevent oil splatters.
• Heat the oil on medium heat (oil should be around 325ºF / 160ºC). In batches, place the plantains in the hot oil and cook for about 4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Repeat with all the plantains, then remove from the oil and drain.
• Place one of the fried plantains between two pieces of parchment paper. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, the bottom of a mug, bottom of a glass, or bottom of a heavy sauce pan or small cast-iron skillet, smash the plantain down until it is evenly flattened (roughly 1/4-inch / 2/3-cm thick. Repeat with the rest of the fried plantains.
• While smashing all of the plantains, crank the heat to medium-high heat (the oil should register 350ºF / 180ºC to 360ºF / 190ºC). After all of the plantains have been smashed, fry them once again until golden brown and crispy. Immediately salt them as they come out of the oil.
• Serve Tostones with Ajillo and or Mayo Ketchup Sauce.

CRISPY BAKED TOSTONES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
• To prepare the plantains: Here's a helpful video. Slice off both ends of each plantain. Use the tip of a paring knife to cut through the skin of a plantain from top to bottom, following the curve of the plantain as you go. You want to slice just deep enough to cut through the skin (less than 1/4 inch deep)-you'll get the feel of it as you go. Repeat twice more on the plantain so you have three evenly-spaced slits. Use your fingers or a spoon, angled downward, to pry off each section. Discard the skins and repeat for the remaining plantains. Slice the plantains into 1-inch thick rounds, then set aside.
• On the prepared baking sheet, toss the sliced plantains with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Disperse them evenly across the pan, flat sides down. Bake for 15 minutes, then place the pan on a heat-safe surface.
• Using the bottom of a glass liquid measuring cup (or mason jar or other sturdy glass), gently press straight down on one round to achieve about 1/4-inch thickness. Repeat for each round.
• Brush the tops of each round with oil, making sure to get into all the nooks and crannies. Flip them and brush the other sides (you may need to use just a bit more than 2 tablespoons oil here). Sprinkle the salt over the rounds.
• Return the pan to the oven and bake for 14 to 17 minutes, until nicely golden and sizzling. Season with additional salt, to taste. Serve warm with dipping sauce, if desired.

TOSTONES WITH GARLIC MOJO DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• For the mojo: Finely mince or use a rasp grater to grate the garlic into a small bowl or the base of a mortar and pestle. Add the salt and pepper and use a fork or the pestle to mash into a paste. Strip the oregano and cilantro leaves off the stems and add them to the bowl, mashing them into the paste. Whisk in the sour orange juice or equal parts lime and orange juice and the olive oil. Taste and add additional salt if desired. Set aside while you prepare the tostones.
• For the tostones: Heat 3 inches of vegetable oil in a medium heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven until it reaches 325 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer.
• While the oil heats, peel the plantains and cut on the bias into 2-inch-thick pieces.
• Fry the plantains in batches until crisp and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper-towel-lined baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining plantains.
• Move the pot the off the heat (do not discard the oil).
• Line a cutting board with parchment paper and gather a flat-bottomed glass and small bowl of water. Place a fried plantain on the parchment paper, dip the bottom of the glass in the water and use it to smash the plantain to about 1/2-inch thick. Repeat with the rest of the plantains.
• Put the oil on the heat again and bring it back up to 325 degrees F. Fry the smashed plantains in batches until golden and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels, season with salt and serve hot with the garlic mojo dipping sauce.

TOSTONES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the garlic, garlic salt and onion powder. Add plantains; cover with cold water. Soak for 30 minutes. , Drain plantains; place on paper towels and pat dry. In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat oil to 375°. Add plantains, a few at a time, and cook for 30-60 seconds or until lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels., Place plantain pieces between two sheets of aluminum foil. With the bottom of a glass, flatten to 1/2-in. thickness. Fry 2-3 minutes longer or until golden brown. , Combine seasoning mix ingredients; sprinkle tostones with seasoning mix.

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.

TOSTONES

Steps:

• Pour 1 1/2 to 2 inches of oil a large saute pan or deep large skillet and place over medium-high heat. Line 2 plates with paper towels.
• Meanwhile, place the plantains on a cutting board and cut off the ends. While holding a plantain firmly, slit the peel lengthwise without cutting into the flesh of the plantain. Cut the plantain in half crosswise. Using the tip of your knife, start to loosen the edges of the skin without cutting into the flesh. Remove the peel of the plantain with your hands. Repeat with the remaining plantains.
• Slice the plantains into 1-inch rounds. Fry the plantains in batches until just golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to one of the paper towel-lined plates to drain.
• Flatten the plantains in a tostonera or on a cutting board by pressing down on the pieces one at a time with a small plate or the bottom of a clean can.
• Working in batches, return the flattened plantains to the saute pan and fry again until they are golden and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the second paper towel-lined plate.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the mayonnaise, ketchup and garlic in a small bowl and until completely incorporated.
• Sprinkle the tostones with salt and serve immediately with the mayo-ketchup on the side.

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.

TWO-TONE TOSTONES

Steps:

• Wash the sweet potatoes. Pierce the peel in 6-8 places, place both in microwave and nuke for 4-6 minutes, until partially cooked.
• While sweet potatoes are cooking, peel plantains and slice into medium rounds.
• Slice sweet potatoes into chunks. My preferred method it to quarter them and then chunk the quarters like a banana. Nice triangular pieces are good for presentation.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet or nonstick frying pan.
• On medium to medium-high heat, fry sweet potato and plantain slices together, stirring and flipping to prevent sticking or burning.
• Grate sea salt over slices during frying process.
• Drain and shake onto serving plate. Best hot! Reheat well in oven or toaster oven after refrigeration, poorly in microwave.