Puerto Rican Tostones Al Ajillo are delicious fried plantains tossed in a buttery garlic mix. They’re the perfect side to any meal!
These Puerto Rican Tostones Al Ajillo are a great way to add flavor to the traditional Puerto Rican tostones recipe.
These garlic butter tostones are very popular on the island. So much so that they’re even a staple at Chinese restaurants, served along Puerto Rican Chinese fried rice or with Chinese style fried chicken wings.
You can serve these tostones with the Puerto Rican pollo al ajillo. Not only because it is a great match, but they are made with almost the same ingredients, also like the garlic shrimp.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Just like with the original tostones recipe, you can make this recipe ahead of time.
- These are the perfect side to any recipe.
Recipe Ingredients
- Green plantains- You’ll want to use very green plantains, not the yellow ones.
- Garlic- I always like using fresh garlic, not the garlic that comes from a jar. For this recipe, using fresh garlic really helps with the flavor. But all you have is garlic in a jar, use it.
- Butter- The butter is the star of the show. It gives the tostones the saltiness. I used 4 tablespoons of butter, but you can always add more if you like.
How to Make Tostones Al Ajillo
- Photo 1:First, peel the plantains by first cutting the ends, then making a cut to the plantain lengthwise. Lift the skin and peel. Cut plantain into 1-inch circles and set aside.
- Photo 2: Peel the garlic by first cutting the hard end and then removing the skin. Roughly chop the garlic.
- Photo 3: In a pan with oil over medium heat, you need to cook the plantains for 3 minutes per side. Then remove them onto paper towels to absorb all the excess oil.
- Photo 4: Now smash your plantains with a tostonera or a plate until they’re about ¼ inch thick. By this time, you can freeze them and continue the recipe another day, or keep going and finish the recipe.
- Photo 5: Turn on your pan again and set the heat to medium-high. You need the oil hotter so the tostones can get crunchy. Fry for 2 minutes per side.
- Photo 6: Now you need a medium or large pan. Set the heat to medium-high and add the butter and garlic. Cook for 4 minutes while you stir. Add the tostones and toss them around for 1 minute, and then serve.
Recipe Tips
- If you don’t want to go through the trouble of making fresh tostones, you can always use frozen ones. Of course, I say fresh ones are better, but you can use frozen ones.
- If you want this recipe to taste just like tostones al ajillo de los chinos (from the Chinese restaurants), add a little bit of msg!!
Common Question
You can, but you shouldn’t. For this recipe, butter is what you should use. This is because the butter adds flavor to the inside of the toston.
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Puerto Rican Tostones Al Ajillo
Ingredients
- 1 green plantain
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 6 garlic cloves
- ¼ teaspoon msg optional
Instructions
- Cut the ends of the garlic and peel. Roughly chop the garlic into about ¼ inch thick small pieces and set aside for later.
- Cut the ends of your plantain. With a knife, make a vertical line from top to bottom, making sure the tip is through the skin. Now start peeling from any top corner of the line you just made. If you have any skin left, just remove it with your knife. Once peeled, cut the plantain into small cylinders of about 1 inch each.
- In a medium-sized pan, add your oil over medium heat. Add the plantains to the oil and fry for 3 minutes on each side. Remove them from the oil into a small bowl with a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- Smash your plantains with a tostonera or a plate. Smash until they are about ¼ of an inch thick. Just enough so they look like a big flat circle. Heat oil again, but this time on medium-high heat. Fry for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the oil into a paper towel or wire rack to drain.
- In a medium-sized pan over medium-high heat, add the garlic and butter. Let the garlic cook for 4 minutes and then add the tostones. If you're going to add msg, add it now. Saute this for a minute so the tostones can absorb the butter. Serve right away and enjoy!
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Recipe Notes
- You need green plantains. If they are starting to turn yellow, they won’t be savory but sweet.
- One plantain can yield more or fewer tostones depending on its size. That’s why I left the serving size to 2 to be modest.
- You can use frozen tostones for this recipe, but I always suggest making your own.
- If you want these tostones al ajillo to taste just like the ones sold at the Puerto Rican Chinese restaurants, use a little bit of msg.
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