Patacones
Twice-fried green plantain rounds - sliced thick, fried, smashed flat, fried again, salted hard. Crisp outside, starchy-soft inside, served as a side, a vehicle for shrimp ceviche, or topped with hogao. Different to ripe-plantain tajadas (sweet); patacones are savoury, crunchy, salty.
Overview
Green (unripe) plantains peel and slice into 3 cm rounds. First fry: 5 minutes per side at 160°C, pale gold, soft inside. Lift out; smash each round flat with the back of a flat measuring cup or a tostonera. Second fry: 3 minutes per side at 180°C, deep gold and crisp. Salt while hot.
Ingredients
- 3 green plantains (totally unripe, dark green or yellowish-green skin)
- 800 ml vegetable oil for frying
- 1 teaspoon salt
Method
Stage 1 - Peel
- Cut off the top and tail of each plantain.
- Score the skin lengthways in three places; peel off each strip with the help of a paring knife.
Stage 2 - First fry
- Slice each plantain into 3 cm thick rounds.
- Heat the oil to 160°C in a wide deep pan.
- Fry plantain rounds in batches, 4-5 minutes per side, until pale gold and softening inside (you can pierce easily with a fork).
- Lift onto a tray.
Stage 3 - Smash
- While still warm, smash each round flat to about 8 mm thick.
- Tools: the back of a measuring cup, a small cutting board pressed down with palm, or a tostonera (the dedicated tool).
Stage 4 - Second fry
- Raise the oil to 180°C.
- Briefly dip each smashed patacón in lightly salted water (helps the surface crisp).
- Fry in batches, 2-3 minutes per side, until deep gold and crisp.
- Drain on kitchen paper.
Stage 5 - Salt
- Sprinkle generously with salt while hot.
Stage 6 - Serve
- Eat immediately with hogao, suero (Colombian sour cream), or top with shrimp ceviche.
Notes
- Truly green plantains: Skin should be solidly green. Yellow / spotted plantains turn sweet and won't crisp.
- Smash thin enough: 8 mm is right. Thicker stays starchy; thinner breaks apart.
- Salt-water dip: Optional but improves the crunch. Don't soak - a 1-second dip.
Storage
- Eat immediately. Cooked patacones go soft within an hour.
- Re-crisp at 200°C 4 minutes if needed.
Recipes mentioned here
Hogao
Long spring onion (cebolla larga) and white onion are softened in oil; garlic, cumin and annatto come in; grated tomato cooks down 15 minutes until thick and sticky. Seasoned and rested. The texture is somewhere between a sauce and a paste, spoonable but coating.
Tajadas
The plantains are peeled and cut lengthways into 5 mm slices, then fried in a shallow pool of vegetable oil until deep gold. Ripe (yellow with black spots) plantains caramelise sweet and turn soft; green plantains stay starchy and crisp. Each works, depending on what's on the plate.
Ceviche
Ceviche is a vibrant, no-cook appetizer in which fresh seafood is "cooked" by the acidity of lime juice, taking on a firm, opaque texture while retaining a wonderfully fresh flavour. The addition of mango, citrus segments, and fresh chilli creates a bright, tropical balance of sweet, sharp, and heat.
More like this
Hogao
Long spring onion (cebolla larga) and white onion are softened in oil; garlic, cumin and annatto come in; grated tomato cooks down 15 minutes until thick and sticky. Seasoned and rested. The texture is somewhere between a sauce and a paste, spoonable but coating.
Ajad
A simple syrup of rice vinegar, palm sugar, water and salt is brought to a gentle simmer to dissolve the sugar, then cooled. Cucumber, shallot and chilli are sliced thin and combined in a small bowl. The cooled syrup is poured over. Rested for 10-15 minutes for the vegetables to wilt slightly into the dressing. Served in small individual ramekins as a dip, OR in a larger bowl as a side, with peanuts sprinkled on top.
Arroz Blanco Hondureño
Long-grain rice is toasted briefly in oil with onion, garlic and sometimes a small piece of bell pepper. Hot water and salt go in; the pot is covered tightly and the rice cooks undisturbed for 18 minutes. Five minutes' rest off the heat finishes the steaming. The grains stay separate.
Bombay Potatoes
Bombay Potatoes is comfort food at its finest. Small potatoes are partially cooked, then coated in a richly spiced oil infused with seeds and aromatics. Some potatoes are mashed to create a creamy base, while others remain whole for texture. The result is a warm, golden, deeply spiced side dish that's utterly satisfying. This is a vegetarian staple of Indian home cooking.