Tostones (Twice-Fried Green Plantains) with Mayoketchup
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen, Serious Eats and NYT Cooking.
Green plantain rounds fried until tender, pressed into discs, dipped in salted water and fried again until crisp, finished with salt and garlic powder and served with a cumin-spiked mayonnaise and ketchup dip.
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Method
- 1
Make the dip. Stir the mayonnaise, ketchup, cumin and 1/4 tsp garlic powder together and set aside. Stir 1 tsp salt into the water in a small bowl for dipping.
- 2
First fry. Heat the oil in the pot to 160 °C (about 3 cm deep). Fry the plantain rounds for 5-6 min, keeping the oil at 150-160 °C, until deep yellow and just starting to colour. Drain on paper and cool for 5 min. This gentle first fry cooks the starchy flesh through.
- 3
Flatten and dip. Press each piece into a 6 mm disc with the tostonera or the bottom of a glass. Heat the oil to 190 °C. Dip each disc into the salted water for 1-2 seconds, shake off the excess and lay on a rack. The quick dip seasons them and helps the edges puff and crisp.
- 4
Second fry. Fry in two batches for about 3 min, turning, until golden brown and crisp, bringing the oil back to 190 °C between batches. Drain, sprinkle with the remaining salt and garlic powder, and serve hot with the dip.
Storage
Best eaten straight away. Flattened but not twice-fried discs keep at room temperature for 2 hours or frozen for 1 month; fry from frozen until golden. The dip keeps refrigerated for 3 days. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Equipment
- large heavy pot or Dutch oven
- cooking thermometer
- slotted spoon or spider
- 2 baking trays lined with kitchen paper
- tostonera or flat-bottomed glass
- small bowls
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 437 kcal |
| Protein | 2.5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 68.1 g |
| of which sugars | 6.7 g |
| of which free sugars | 2.7 g |
| Fat | 17.7 g |
| of which saturates | 2.1 g |
| Fibre | 4 g |
| Salt | 1.18 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
0.6 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
