Tostones

Tostones (Spanish pronunciation: [tosˈtones], from the Spanish verb tostar which means "to toast"), are twice fried plantain slices. They are known as tostones (Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and in parts of Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela). They are also known as tachinos or chatinos (Cuba), fritos verde (Dominican Republic), bananes pesées (Haiti) and as patacones (Colombia, Panama, Peru, Venezuela, Costa Rica and Ecuador).

Preparation

Green (unripe) plantains are peeled, sliced length-wise, diagonally, or width-wise, and then twice fried. The raw slices of plantains are fried for one to two minutes on each side until they are golden in color, and removed and patted for excess cooking oil. Afterwards, they are pounded flat with a hinged utensil made for the task, called a tostonera, or less conveniently with any kitchen utensil that has a large enough flat surface, for instance between two plates. The flattened plantain slices are then fried once again until they are crisp and golden brown.