Tostones w/ Jerk-Spiced Jackfruit
On my first trip to Nicaragua in 2006, I discovered tostones. I loved them so much I ate them nearly every day of my week-long vacation and back then, wasn’t even aware that plantains are a low-protein treat. In Nicaragua, they are commonly served with cheese, beans or ceviche, but always topped with something. Here, i have paired them jackfruit and some common Caribbean flavors (where tostones are also popular). …This may be my favorite recipe on the list—and that’s saying something!
Phe Count:
128 mg phe / serving
Yield: 3 servings (5 tostones per serving)
Ingredients:
2 green plaintains
½ C vegetable oil
1 20oz can of jackfruit (in brine or water)
2 Tbsp avocado oil
¼ C jerk sauce of choice (bottled)
⅓ C avocado, diced
**this is a great one if you can’t find jerk sauce at your local grocery store
For Mango Salsa:
1 ripe mango (about 1/2 Cup)
⅓ C jicama
¼ C red onion
½ of 1 jalapeno chile (use more or less, to your liking. Their heat varies a lot!)
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp lime juice
For Mirin Mayo:
5 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp mirin
½ tsp rice wine vinegar
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
Start by preparing the salsa. Cut the mango and jicama into a small dice (about ¼” cubes). Cut the red onion into an even smaller dice (about half the size of the mango) and mince the jalapeno into tiny pieces (leave seeds in for heat). Coarsely chop the cilantro and add all ingredients to a bowl. Finally, add the lime juice and stir to combine. Put your salsa in the refrigerator to cool. While you cook, the flavors will blend and deepen.
To prepare the jackfruit, drain and coarsely chop into small pieces, so it begins to take a “shredded-like” texture. Add it to a medium-sized bowl with avocado oil and about ¾ of your jerk sauce, reserving the rest for after it’s cooked. Toss until evenly coated.
Then, spread the jackfruit evenly on a baking sheet. Cook in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the jackfruit looks like it has begun to dry out. When it’s done, return to your bowl and mix with remaining sauce to finish.
While your jackfruit is cooking, heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. While the oil is heating up, peel and and slice the plantains into 1” pieces.
When the oil is hot enough to sizzle, add the plantains and fry for about 3 minutes on each side, until they soften and begin to turn golden brown. Then, remove the fried plantains and transfer to paper towels to absorb excess oil.
Using the back of a wooden spoon, push down on each plantain to flatten. But be careful not to flatten too much, or they’ll get too thin. You want them to be about ⅓” - ½” thick.
Return the plantains to the hot oil and continue to cook until crispy and even more golden brown. (Approx 3 minutes per side) When they’re done, place on paper towels once again to drain excess oil.
To prepare the mayo, simply stir the three ingredients together.
Finally, it’s time to eat! Assemble each tostone by layering your ingredients. A dab of the mayo to start, followed by jackfruit, salsa, and avocado. (And extra cilantro, if you’d like)