Patacones

Tostones are twice-fried plantain slices commonly found in Latin American cuisine and Caribbean cuisine. Most commonly known as tostones in Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Nicaragua, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras and Venezuela, they are also known as tachinos or chatinos (Cuba), bannann peze (Haiti), patacones (in Ecuador, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Costa Rica and Peru) and, sometimes, patacón pisao in Colombia. Green (unripe) plantains are peeled, sliced lengthwise, diagonally, or widthwise, and then fried twice. The raw slices of plantains are fried for one to two minutes on each side until they are golden in color, and removed and patted to remove excess cooking oil. Afterward, they are pounded flat with a hinged utensil made for the task, called a tostonera, or less conveniently, with any kitchen utensil with a sufficiently large flat surface—for instance, between two plates. The flattened plantain slices are then fried once again until they are crisp and golden brown. In Puerto Rico making tostones is typically a three-step process rather than two used in other countries. Plantains’ tips are cut off and boiled with the skin on until almost cooked through. The skin is removed and the plantains are cut into chunks and fried, flattened and then refried. Most Puerto Ricans use the method of soaking the plantains in hot water with salt for a few minutes before frying. Both of these methods result in a softer, moist center with a crispy exterior.

Source: Wikipedia