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.
- Peel the plantain and cut into 1 in. pieces.
- Melt coconut oil in a pan over medium heat.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- On a plate, place the Tostones and cover with the sautéed veggies. Top with chives and squeeze the juice from the lime on top.