Tostones and Maduros are the best side dishes to include tying in any meal. Not only are they a great side dish they are also a very delicious snack. My mom has made them always my whole life. They are a perfect balance of both sweet and salty. If you want to add something salty and savory then you would make some tostones for your meal. If you’re looking to add a hit of sweet to your meals then you would make some maduros.
Tostones
Ingredients
- Green Plantains ( Platanos)
- Salt
- Oil
- Garlic
- Water
Peeling the Plantain
- Cut off each end of the plantain
- Make a slit length wise down the plantain
- With the point of the knife carefully peel the plantain
- Once peeled set aside
Directions
- Grab a cutting board
- Placed peeled plantain on the cutting board
- Cut 1 inch think circles
- In a small pan add 1/4 cup of oil ( if it doesn’t look like enough add a little more)
- Let the oil heat up for about 2-3 minutes
- Once the oil is hot carefully add the cut plantains
- Let them get a little golden brown a bit on each side
- Once golden brown on each side pull them out of the pan
- Place the plantain on the cutting board
- Take a small plate and gently press down on the plantain
- Add the squished plantains back into the hot oil
- Fry again for about 2 minutes each side
- Once fully fried sprinkle a little salt over them.
Tip: if you would like to give the tostones a small taste of garlic; in a small bowl of water add some garlic powder. After the plantains are squished dip them one at a time in the water garlic mix. Set them aside for a moment before adding them into the hot oil to fry again.
Maduros (Yellow Plantains)
Peeling the Maduros
- Cutting off the ends of the plantains
- Make a slit down the length of the plantain
- Carefully peel the plantain
Yellow plantains are much easier to peel than the green ones.
Directions
- Place the plantain on the cutting board
- Cut the plantain diagonally about an inch wide
- Add about 1/4 cup of oil to a small pan on medium heat
- Carefully place the plantains into the hot oil
- Brown each side for about 2 minutes
- Once each side is brown place on a place and serve