This is the ultimate Latin America meets India dish! Priyanka Naik has traveled the world extensively, but one city in particular that she frequently visited within her homeland is Miami, Florida. Her sister has lived there and throughout the years she has discovered delicious Latin American, Cuban and South American cuisine. One dish in particular that always stood out was tostones, and what she loves about Tostones is they’re vegan by default. She always thought to herself “this would go really well with some Indian chaat masala, for that sweet, spicy, and umami flavor.” And that is how this Tostone “Chaat” was born! A delicious combination of crispy yet fluffy tostones, tangy tamarind chutney, spicy green chutney and hearty mung beans make for an explosion of flavors!
Ingredients
For the Tostones Chaat:
1
For the Creamy Green Chutney:
¼
1
3-4
2
½
Preparation
Step 1
For the Chutney: Blend together all of the ingredients until super super smooth. Pour into a squeezy bottle for easy drizzling. Pour the tamarind chutney in a squeezy bottle as well. Set aside in the fridge until ready to serve.
Step 2
For the Plantains: Peeling them is not the easiest so use your knife carefully to peel back the tough green peel and then use your hands to pull back. Once you get to the plantain “meat” you will have to use the knife to cut off any remaining tough peel. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry and then cut into disks.
Step 3
First round of frying. In a large deep pan, heat about 1/2 inch of oil – we’re doing a shallow dry, not a deep fry. Heat on medium-low heat. We want it warm-hot, not hot-hot. Once warm enough, add in your plantains using tongs – be careful, this may splatter! Don’t drown the pan. Cook about 5 minutes on each side until a light golden brown. Remove and drain on a plate lined with foil and paper towel.
Step 4
Smash time. While warm, but ok to touch, place each plantain piece in between a sheet of parchment paper. Using the bottom of a mug, smash down. If you have a tostones smasher you can use that. Gently smash – you want to retain the structure, not break it apart! Once all smashed, it’s back to the fryer.
Step 5
Second round of frying. Now heat the same oil, but this time on medium-high. You want this oil to be hot-hot. This fry is going to make the outside crispy! Once hot, place the smashed tostones in the hot oil and cook about 2-3 minutes until a deeper golden color. Remove and drain on the same foil and paper towel lined plate. IMPORTANT: while still piping hot, generously sprinkle with kosher salt!
Step 6
Assembling the chaat. Once cooled down, place your tostones on a platter – evenly spreading out in a layer. Layer on the mung beans. Next, squeeze on the creamy green chutney, then tamarind chutney. Add a little sprinkle of salt. Generously cover with sev and some fresh coriander leaves.