How to make fried green Plantain (tostones)

Cooking is an essential part of every human life. This instructable will teach you how to prepare and cook fried green plantains or Puerto Rican Tostones. The tostones are part of the culture in Puerto Rico and represents its local cuisine. Tostones are served with many of the local dishes, including fried pork chops, steaks, poultry, or sea food. Some people use them as appetizers, as a side plate, or as the main entry. It is up to each person how they prefer them. In almost every home and restaurant in Puerto Rico, you will find tostones in the menu. To prepare tostones you do not need to be a professional cook. You just need to have average physical skills and be able of reading and following simple instructions. In addition, you should not be afraid of frying in oil, or handling hot materials. Cooking tostones will take between 12 to 15 minutes. If is your first time doing it, it might take a little bit longer. Making tostones might sound or look complicated, but is really easy and at the end you will be satisfied and rewarded with its taste.

Materials:
• Stove
• Salt
• Knife
• Cooking Oil
• Water
• Cutting board
• Pan
• Lid
• Tongs or Fork
• Green plantain
• Plate/ Bowl
• Paper towel
• Tostonera
• Aluminum foil (optional see note)


Note: If you don’t have a tostonera, I will teach you how to make your own with a paper towel and aluminum foil. If you have tostonera you don’t need the aluminum foil.

Step 1 Getting started

1. Wash the green plantain with water
2. Cut each end of the plantain
3. Make a cut in line though out the plantain, make sure you only cut the outer layer
4. Pill off the skin, or outer layer of the green plantain. Now that you have removed the green part, you should see a creamy color and the green plantain looks now more like a naked banana.
5. Prepare the pan with the oil, you should pour enough oil to cover 1 inch up to 1 ½ inch.

Note: To reduce the stain caused by the plantain, you can cut and remove the outer layer in water. This step is optional.

Comments

[clouda9]

I get so happy to find just the right plantain to make Tostones. Your instructions and photos made my mouth water and put plantains down on the shopping list :)

[aeray]

Tostones! After eating them several times a day for several months in Central America, I was thoroughly sick of them until one day, back in the States, I had this funny craving... Since I don't have a tostonera, I use a ramekin to mash them flat on a cutting board. I like them with Jufran.

[scoochmaroo]

I <3 Tostones!

[TrinityMacPhisto]

that final picture looks delicious!