Dominican Twice Fried Green Plantains - Tostones

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

2 or 3 large green plantains

1 tbs. salt

2 quarts of cold water

2 quarts oil for deep frying

1 fresh banana leaf

Cooking Instructions:

Wash the plantains well under cold running water then dry. Using a small knife peel the plantains; best done lengthwise making long incisions. Cut slice the plantain "meat" into sections about 1 inch long. They will look like little barrels. Mix the salt and cold water then soak these pieces for about 40 minutes. Remove from water and pat dry with paper towels. Heat oil to 335 degrees F and gently fry the plantains for a few minutes until they begin to take on a bright yellow to light gold color. Remember that these "tostones" will be fried a second time. Remove the slices from the oil and drain well. While still warm you need to gently but firmly press down on these slices, the objective being to flatten or thin them out for the second frying. You can use the bottom of a ceramic plate, a piece of board or whatever. Raise the temperature of the oil to 375 degrees F. and fry the plantain slices a second time until they are a deep golden color and crispy. This will take about five minutes. These can be eaten as is for a snack or used to decorate a plate of fish, pork or chicken.

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