Hi, foodies in the Hive!

Once again, I hope you are all healthy and well :)

Topocho bananas are a staple in my hometown; boiling a couple of these unripe bananas is more than enough for a decent side dish, but we like to have options, right? Tostones and arepas/flatbreads are really good options if you want to enjoy the benefits of this delicious food in a different way. than just plain boiled.

Topocho banana pulp is quite soft and starchy; its resistant starch aids digestion while keeping you satisfied and sustaining you for hours.

We ate these arepas and tostones for breakfast today; it's almost 5 p.m. as I'm writing this post, and I'm not hungry yet. This always happens when we substitute regular arepas (cornmeal cakes) with unripe plantain or unripe topocho banana.

We accompanied ours arepas and tostones with avocado and homemade eggplant vinaigrette (a gift from my comadre).

You may know this already: a tostón is a flattened portion of usually unripe plantain or banana that you fry once or twice and then sprinkle with salt.

One of the best things about using these bananas instead of regular cormeal is that you don't need to add any salt because they are really flavorful. Neither you need to fry them, as they will roast perfectly in the oven or on a hot pan rubbed with just a little oil--or none--.

And here's what I really, really like about topocho banana arepas--and tostones--: They go perfectly with both savory and sweet foods. If you are into arepas, you know you cannot have them with sweet spreads on. I tried them spread with homemade pineapple jam, and it was a dream 😁

Ingredients for topocho arepas and tostones:

Topocho bananas
water to boil them
Salt to taste (optional)

Plus everything you want to eat them with.

Let's make topocho flat bread/arepas & tostones!

First of all, wash the topochos well because you're going to boil them with the peel on.

The next thing to do is to cut off the tips and stems and then make a shallow cut lengthwise; when this cut opens up to reveal the banana flesh, you will know that they are cooked.

Place tha clean topochos in a pot with enough water to cover them. This is the moment when you can add a litle salt if you want. I didn't add any. Let them boil for 6 minutes or so or untile the cuts on the sides open so you can see the cooked flesh of the banana.

Let the topochos cool a little, enough to allow you to handle them with your bare hands.

When topochos are hot to warm, they are soft and easy to knead as a dough...

...but if you let them cool completely, the pulp will crumble and you will have a hard time getting the breads/arepas/tostones to hold their shape.

Making tostones is very simple. Place a topocho on the surface of a plastic wrap and cover it leaving enough space all around and flatten it with your hand and the help of a flat lid.

There is no need to use water or oil to work the "dough" into the plastic wrap. Actually, the boiled topocho pulp has a very tender texture.

I cooked these ones in the air fryer. No need to add salt or oil.

I let them air fry for 30 minutes at 300 °F. They turned super crispy. When I sop them with oil, they take less time to cook, about 20 minutes.

But you can make healthy tostones, and if you're patient, they will be just as crispy as the ones you fry.

To shape them into flatbreads/arepas, I use a bowl; I turn it over the flattened dough inside the plastic wrap and press it against the counter.

The leftovers can be rolled back into a ball and flattened back into the plastic wrap.

You can make several arepas and store them in the fridge or freezer, just make sure they are well covered in plastic wrap or they will dry out and crumble.

If you wish, you can also cook all the arepas and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Then you can sprinkle them with water and reheat them in the oven just before eating them.

I don't really know how long they can last in your fridge, but I've kept them in good condition for about 3 -4 days when I keep them in the fridge and for 2 weeks when I have kept them in the freezer.

To cook the arepas, I used a hot frying pan which surface I rubbed with a little corn oil.

I let them cook with the lid on for one minute on each side, on medium-high heat.

If you don't put the lid on the pan, the flatbreads will warp and the parts of their surface that are not touching the hot pan may crack. So what I do is leave the lid on, and then, if I want them to them to get a crunchy crust, I let them cook another little while without the lid.

Topocho arepas are a little more flexible than cornmeal arepas unless you shape them really flat and let them cook until they turn crunchy.

There are so many things we can do with topochos in our kitchens. If you don't have topochos, sure you have similar plantains or bananas you can use while still unripe.