[Chinese Recipes] Tostones with Tomato Salsa

Tostones is a classic across Latin America and definitely a favorite of ours at The Woks of Life. These days, some takeout Chinese restaurants are actually serving up fried plantains on their menus. They’ll slice the plantains, freeze them in single portions, and quickly drop them into a fryer when ordered. That’s a method you could potentially use at home too. 

First thing to know, though, is that there are two kinds of plantains: sweet plantains and green plantains. You can use this method for either, but the green plantains are a bit more savory. Today, we’re using green plantains, which go great with the Cuban Sandwiches we just posted!

This tostones recipe is really simple and has some good practical methods if you have never made it at home before so check it out and enjoy!

You’ll need:
1 ripe tomato, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 sun-dried tomato, chopped (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 large green plantains
2-3 cups oil for frying

Make the simple salsa by combining the tomato, garlic, olive oil, sun-dried tomato, and salt and pepper. You could do this in a food processor, a mortar and pestle, or just a bowl.

Heat the oil in a small, shallow skillet until it reaches 350 degrees F. Split the plantains lengthwise, being careful not to cut too deep. Peel off the thick outer skin, and slice the plantain into 3/4 inch thick discs.

Fry the plantain pieces in the oil for about a minute until they have a very light crust on them.

Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Clean the bottom of a can (we used a big 28 ouncer of crushed tomatoes for this task). Take the plantains and flatten them into circles with the can.

The professionals at a local Chinese restaurant keep a cutting board next to the fryer, and use the broad side of a Chinese cleaver to smash them. It’s a simple yet amazingly speedy method, and they make a mean sauce to go with them. I’ve spoken to the proprietor, and they’ve apparently had training from a Peruvian chef (incidentally, they also make awesome rotisserie chickens to go with the fried plantains).

Once you’ve smashed all of the plantains…

Drop them back into the fryer for another 2-3 minutes, until crispy and golden brown.

Drain on paper towels and sprinkle immediately with sea salt. Serve hot with your simple salsa! (And maybe a Cuban sandwich).

Tostones with Tomato Salsa

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

1 ripe tomato, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 sun-dried tomato, chopped (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 large green plantains
2-3 cups oil for frying

Instruction:

Make the simple salsa by combining the tomato, garlic, olive oil, sun-dried tomato, and salt and pepper. You could do this in a food processor, a mortar and pestle, or just a bowl.

Heat the oil in a small, shallow skillet until it reaches 350 degrees F. Split the plantains lengthwise, being careful not to cut too deep. Peel off the thick outer skin, and slice the plantain into 3/4 inch thick discs.

Fry the plantain pieces in the oil for about a minute until they have a very light crust on them. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Clean the bottom of a heavy can (we used a big 28 ouncer of crushed tomatoes for this task). Take the plantains and flatten them into circles with the can.

Once you've smashed all of the plantains, drop them back into the fryer for another 2-3 minutes, until crispy and golden brown. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle immediately with sea salt. Serve hot with your simple salsa! (And maybe a Cuban sandwich).

This recipe and image sources are reffered in website: Thewoksoflife.com. Thanks so much!