Cooking Around the World Part 4: The Dominican Republic
Self-Care and Creativity Through Cooking: D is for The Dominican Republic.
"February is just plain malicious. It knows your defenses are down."
- Katherine Paterson
OK, my peeps. I don’t know about you, but February to me is a mean month. It’s cold; it’s raw; and it stands as one of the last doors to get past to get to spring. The good thing is that it’s short. Sometimes it demands a 29th day, taunting us to wait even longer for March, but not this year.
I am keeping this one short because February is short and I am typing very quickly to get this one written and posted before the end of the month so I can officially say that I am still on track to cook two new countries a month. :)
This February was the coldest and snowiest we’ve had (here in the Northeast at least). A tree fell on my roof during one of the back-to-back windstorms we had a couple of weeks ago, and I am consistently dreaming of escaping to a warmer place, preferably in a country that doesn’t hate most of its citizens and doesn’t seem hell-bent on destroying and plundering every nook and cranny like mine seems to be doing at the moment.
So, it’s for all these reasons that I chose the Dominican Republic for my D country. I toyed with Denmark, but Denmark seemed too cold, so off to the Caribbean we go.
This produce item, like the ramps that I wrote about last year, have always intrigued, yet mystified me. They look like bananas, they ripen like bananas, and they are part of the “banana family”, but they are vastly different in the way they taste and they cook. They have tougher skin, they are starchier, and are not great to eat raw. If you are wondering, “hey, what else can I learn about their similarities and differences?” you can read this.
I originally set out to make mofongo, which is one of those dishes that would pop up on cooking shows every now and then, and I’ve always liked the way the word rolls off the tongue. But, when I started looking at mofongo recipes, it seemed that the dish is more native to Puerto Rico, not the Dominican Republic. So after some searching and surfing (do we still say surfing?) on recipe websites, I decided the best way to get to know the plantain is to start with the basics: Tostones (twice-cooked green plantains) and Plátanos Amarillos Fritos (fried ripe plantains).
Both of these plantain preparations are traditionally served as a side dish or a snack, usually with a dipping sauce. I chose to make a sauce of ketchup, mayo, and a sprinkle of chipotle powder, a variation of this recipe, but the possibilities are endless. Here are a few ideas for Caribbean dipping sauce recipes.
Compared to my China recipe, this one is a breeze. Fewer ingredients, much less time. All you need are:
Ripe plantain
Green plantain
Salt
Cooking oil
Sharp paring knife
Ketchup, mayo, and chipotle powder for the sauce (mix to taste)
Keep in mind, that you are going to cook the green and ripe plantains separately.
All you need to do is:
Peel your plantains carefully using a sharp paring knife. They don’t peel as easily as a banana, and scoring them lengthwise first makes it a bit easier. Here are some tips.
Slice them into 1” or 1 1/2” rounds. I sliced the ripe plantain on a diagonal and the green plantains straight down. I thought I would need the different shapes to the difference, but the sugar content in the riper slices will turn a deeper brown as you cook them, so they are easy to tell apart.
While you are prepping the plantains, heat your oil in your Dutch oven or other type of pan - I found it easier to use something that was deeper than a frying pan. I used about one inch of oil, and heated it to a medium-high heat (about 350 degrees F) Always use caution when cooking, but be extra careful when cooking with hot oil.
Ripe plantains (Plátanos Amarillos Frito):
Gently place the plantain slices in the oil and cook on one side for about three minute, or until they begin to brown. Be careful that they don’t start to stick as the sugar starts to release.
Flip and cook on the other side for three minutes.
Continue to flip and cook until they have reached a dark, golden brown.
Remove carefully with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to absorb the extra oil.
Salt, dip and enjoy!
Green plantains (Tostones):
Gently place the plantain slices in the oil and cook on one side for about three minute, or until they begin to brown.
Flip and cook on the other side for three minutes.
Here’s the fun part. Remove and drain the slices. Let them cool a bit and then lightly smash each round so they become flat (but not too flat) disks. Traditionally, a tostonera is used, but I used the bottom of a one-cup Pyrex glass container.
Return the smashed plantains back to the oil to cook again to a deeper brown.
Remove again from the oil, allow to drain.
Salt, dip and enjoy!
The sliced green plantains on the left, ripe plantains on the right.
This is such an easy recipe that I prepped, cooked both versions of the plantains, and made the dipping sauce in about a half an hour. The ripe plantains have a softer texture and are a little sweeter, but not by much. The salt definitely adds to the flavor, so salt, taste, and then maybe salt again. The dipping sauce was good, but I might have liked something less creamy - maybe a mango salsa or something similar. They are also good without a sauce, and I actually liked them after they cooled off a little better than hot and right out of the pan.
So, here’s to spring being hopefully around the corner, and for those participating in today’s Economic Blackout, go out and find a business near you that is underserved and show them some love.
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The recipe sources I used include Dominican Cooking, and My Dominican Kitchen. You can read more about Dominican Culture, Traditions, and Food History here.
© 2025 Kim Selby & Storm Your Brain, LLC. All rights reserved. All photography © Kim Selby unless otherwise credited.