kittycow woman

ngl it's mostly snacking I get very little opportunities to be able to stuff myself silly (mostly when I go out), so it's all grazing!

Peel the plantain. Unlike bananas, plantains give a bit of a fight, so use the knife to put some notches and pull it using the back of the knife.

Cut the plantain three fingers wide (~2.5cm or 1 in)

Heat the oil (medium high) and throw the plantains in them until golden

Take them out of the oil while draining them, and place them on the cutting board facing up (aka they are not rolling around)

Using the mallet, apply just enough pressure for the plantain's skin to break and its insides spill out a bit without going fully through, as you want the plantain to stay in one piece

throw the plantains once more into the fryer, one by one so that they don't stick to each other, until the whole thing is golden

Drain them and salt them as you would fries

Congrats you have made tostones <3 Nice, golden and crunchy, they are great as sides and snacks! Also yes, you can skip the cutting altogether and make one that is just the entire plantain, as there's a dish that uses it instead of bread in sandwiches lol

IF THE PLANTAIN IS YELLOW (aka it is RIPE)

Peel the plantain. It is a lot more forgiving when ripe so there shouldn't be much issue

Cut the plantain into pieces of 0.5-1cm thick, or if you you feel extra, cut the plantain diagonally (with the same thickness

Heat the oil (medium high) and fry the plantains until golden (if they are dark gold that's fine too, that's just the sugars from the plantain caramelizing)

Take them out of the oil and drain them

(optional) add salt, or if you like feta cheese and have a block of it, shred some at the top, trust me on this

Congrats you have made fried plantain <3 The plantain's natural sweetness when ripe makes it equally as awesome for sides and snacks! This variant is also the basis for various deserts, including some cakes!