Cuban Tostones with Mojo Sauce Recipe

Cuban tostones are crispy, crunchy and absolutely addictive. Thick slices of green plantain are fried until slightly tender, then pressed into thin piece and fried again. The second frying makes these extra crispy and amazing.

The garlic mojo sauce is the perfect accompaniment for the tostones. Serve them hot for a snack or as an appetizer or even with rice and beans.

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About the recipe

Tostones are basically double fried green plantains. They are very popular and are a huge feature in Latin Caribbean cuisine. Fried plantains have different names like tostones, patacones, tajadas, mariquitas etc. and also come in different shapes depending on the country.

The technique of making tostones involves frying thick slices of plantain until slightly firm. They are then cooled for a couple of minutes, then smushed/ crushed down to make a thinner piece. The second frying of these thinner slices makes tostone extra crunchy and absolutely delicious.

There are many methods for crushing tostones for their second frying. The idea is to use a heavy, flat object to evenly apply enough pressure to the cooked plantain. This is only to gently flatten it, we do not want them to fall apart.

There's a special tool used in Latin kitchens called a tostonera that is designed just for the smashing purpose. But I used my handy-dandy poori press for that and it worked great for me.

These crunchy slabs of fried plantains make a very addictive snack or an appetizer when served with a garlic dipping sauce. This recipe is from Viva Vegan cookbook.

Cuban Tostones are best when eaten hot. So serve them as soon as they are fried and seasoned. My whole family loved these crispy, crunchy and addictive. Serve them as is or with Cuban garlic sauce.

Ingredients

For the details of the exact quantities of each ingredient and the list of ingredients needed, check the printable recipe card below.

Here are the ingredients you need to make Cuban tostones:

• Green Plantains ~ It is important to make sure that the plantain used is green and firm. Soft ones do not yield crispy and crunchy tostones, so best to avoid using those.
• Salt
• Oil ~ I use vegetable or canola oil.

You will need a tostonera or a poori press to smash the plantain. But you can go low-tech and use a soup can, tortilla press or even a rolling pan.

Here are the ingredients you need to make Cuban mojo sauce:

• Garlic cloves
• Good quality olive oil ~ I usually use light flavored olive oil instead of extra virgin oil.
• Yellow onion
• Ground cumin, black pepper and salt.
• Lime juice

Instructions

For the detailed instructions on how to make the recipe with exact timings, check the printable recipe card below.

Here is how to make crispy Cuban Tostones:

Make Cuban Tostones

Prep the plantains. Cut the ends off of the plantains. Using a sharp knife, make 3~4 shallow slits down the length of the plantain. Slide a spoon or butter knife between the peel and flesh and gently lift it. The skin should come off easily.Slice the peeled plantains at an angle into 1~1½” thick pieces.

Heat oil for deep frying in a heavy bottom pan on medium-high heat.

Gently slide the plantain slices into the hot oil and fry for until slightly firm. Gently flip once midway through frying. Using a slotted spoon, remove the plantains from oil and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain.

When the fried slices are just cool enough to handle; gently but firmly flatten them to about ⅜” thick. Gently drop the flattened plantains back into the hot oil and fry, turning once, until golden and crisp along the edges. Return to the paper to drain, sprinkle the hot tostones with salt, and serve immediately.

Make Cuban mojo sauce

In a medium saucepan, combine the olive oil, garlic, onion and bring to a gently simmer over medium heat, then lower the heat to low. Simmer for 12~14 minutes or until the garlic and onion are very soft and just starting to turn golden.

Remove from the heat and stir in the salt, pepper and ground cumin. Set aside for 2 minutes to cool slightly. Gently stir in the lime juice. Serve with tostones.

Expert Tips

• Make sure to use firm green plantains for the best crispy and crunchy tostones.
• Season the fried plantains while still hot, to ensure they are well seasoned.
• You can use a soup can, coffee can or a tortilla press. The idea is to apply even pressure on the cooked plantain that it flattens out but not so much that it falls apart.
• Tostones are best to serve hot.
• You can serve garlic mojo sauce as an accompaniment to tostones or even to cooked yuca.
• Once cooled, garlic sauce can be pureed with an immersion blender to make a smoother sauce.
• Store leftover garlic sauce in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
• Mojo sauce is great to serve as salad dressing or even over rice bowls.

You might also like

Few more vegetarian Cuban dishes that you may want to try at home:

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Recipe Card