Tostones (Fried Raw Green Plantains) with Mojo Sauce

I made these Tostones or fried green plantains for Cuban meal earlier this week. From what I've read, fried green plantains are very popular and pull together most any Latin Caribbean meal. They have different names (tostones, patacones, tajadas, mariquitas) and shapes depending on the country.
These crunchy slabs of fried plantains make a very addictive snack or appetizer when served with lightly salted or with a garlicky mojo sauce. This recipe is from Viva Vegan cookbook.

Green plantain is fried twice, smushed down just prior to the second frying to create a thinner and extra crunchy treat. 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 to flatten it, but not so much that it falls apart. There's a special Latin kitchen tool; called a tostonera that is designed just for the smashing purpose. I used my handy-dandy poori press for that and it worked great for me.

As much as I say I don't like to deep fry, it looks like I'm making a lot of deep frying these days. But I couldn't stop myself from making these tostones and after making them, my daughter couldn't stop herself from eating this yummy and tempting snack. They are best eaten hot. I served them with some garlicky mojo sauce.

Ingredients: Serves 2~3

Green Plantains - 2 (for best results, use very green and firm plantains)

Salt - to taste

Method:

• Heat oil for deep frying.
• Peel the plantains and slice them into 1½" thick pieces. The greater the angle of the slice, the longer and bigger the final tostones will be.
• Slide into the hot oil and fry for 4~5 minutes, flipping once. Remove from oil and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain for about 2 minutes.
• When the fried slices are just cool enough to handle, about 2~3 minutes, gently but firmly flatten them to about ⅜" thick. I used my poori press to press the fried plantains, but a soup can, tortilla press or even a rolling pan will also work.
• Gently drop the flattened plantains back into the hot oil and fry for another 3~4 minutes, turning once, until golden and crisp along the edges. Return to the paper to drain, sprinkle the hot tostones with salt, and serve immediately.

Garlicky Mojo Sauce:

Olive Oil - ½cup
Garlic - 6~8 cloves, finely minced
Yellow Onion - 1 small, cut in half and sliced thinly
Salt - 1tsp
Ground Cumin - ½tsp
Freshly squeezed Lime juice - ¼cup
Freshly ground black pepper - to taste

Method:

• In a large 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 and ground cumin. 
• Set aside for 2 minutes to cool slightly. Gently stir in the lime juice and ground pepper. Serve with tostones.

Linking this to Valli's 'Cooking from Cookbook Challenge: July -- Week 3'.