Tostones with Sautéed Garlic & Onions

I have a silly love affair with Plantains. It started years ago when a good friend of mine, Livy introduced me to garlic plantain chips at a Farmer's Market in Atlanta. She then taught me how to fry my own tostones at home. When I moved from Atlanta to Chicago, my core crew of friends mostly had Latin roots and they just blew. my. mind. with how versatile plantains are. When I tell you that they uped my game from plaintain chips and tostones, I'm not playing! They introduced me to Jibaritos, Mofungo, Pastelón and Mangu (Shout out Z, Li, Tone & Jani)! You name any savory dish with plantains in it and there is no doubt that I'm a fan! This dish is my homage to my Latin and Caribbean friendships. It's a small one, but it makes me feel a little closer to them when I'm hundreds of miles away. I use my asian veggie staples to create a topping instead of a garlic sauce and hopefully you'll appreciate the delightful combination as well. 

Ingredients

• 1 Green Plantain
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 3-5 Cloves Garlic (crushed)...depends on how garlicky you want it!
• 1/2 Lime
• Fish Sauce
• Salt
• Pepper
• 3 Green Onions (sliced)
• 1/4 Quarter of a Red Onion (sliced)
• Chives

What you will need:  Small plate or cup (for smashing), wax paper, frying pan

Prep Time: 10 mins 

Cook Time: 15-20 mins

Let's. Do. This.

1. Peel the plantain and cut into 1 in. pieces.
2. Melt coconut oil in a pan over medium heat.
3. Once the oil is hot, place plantains in the pan fry on both sides until lightly golden. Remove from heat and place onto a paper towel to drain. (Turn the heat down low or remove but don't discard as you will need this to place the plantains in to crisp). 
4. As they are draining, pull out the wax paper and lay it over a flat clean surface. Fold in half for a crease, (I do this to keep it clean when I smash them).  Place the plantains onto one side of the wax paper and fold over the other half.  Take a flat bottomed plate or cup and carefully press down on each plantain to smash them.
5. Place the pan back over the heat and once it's hot again, place the smashed plantain chips back into the oil. This will only take a few minutes for them to fry into a deeper golden color and to crisp (about 3-5 mins). Remove from heat and drain agai
6. In the same pan, place the crushed garlic, fish sauce,  green onion slices and red onion slices into it and sauté for a few mins. Add salt and pepper to your liking. 
7. On a plate, place the Tostones and cover with the sautéed veggies. Top with chives and squeeze the juice from the lime on top.