Mofongo

Mofongo (Puerto Rican Garlic-Pork Mashed Plantains)

The classic Puerto Rican side-and-starch: green plantains fried until tender, then mashed in a pilón with garlic, olive oil and chicharrones, and typically stuffed with a stewed protein. The dish is forgiving at home as long as the plantains are mashed while hot.

Prep

20 min

Cook

35 min

Total

55 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •4 whole (4 medium) green (unripe) plantains, must be green or barely yellow-black; ripe plantains turn sweet and mushy
• •500 ml (2 cups) vegetable or sunflower oil, neutral oil for frying; olive oil is added later
• •120 g (⅓ lb) pork crackling (chicharrones), crushed into coarse crumbs; in Puerto Rico these are bought already rendered
• •6 cloves garlic, minced
• •45 ml (3 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil
• •120 ml (½ cup) warm chicken or pork broth, kept hot; salted broth is traditional
• •5 g (1 tsp) fine sea salt, plus extra for the frying oil
• •4 cloves garlic, smashed, for the broth infusion (optional but traditional)

Steps

1. 1 Peel the plantains: cut off both ends, score the skin lengthwise along each ridge with a paring knife, then pry the skin off with your thumbs. (Blanching in boiling water for 5 minutes makes very green plantains easier to peel.)
2. 2 Cut each plantain crosswise into 3–4 cm (about 1½-inch) chunks. Keep them uniform so they cook evenly.
3. 3 Heat the frying oil in a heavy pot or deep skillet to 175 °C / 350 °F. Working in batches, fry the plantain pieces for 4–5 minutes per side, until pale golden and a knife slides in with just a little resistance — they should be cooked through but not browned.
4. 4 Transfer fried pieces to a paper-towel-lined tray and let them rest about 1 minute; they must go into the pilón while hot or they will not mash.
5. 5 If using a wooden pilón (traditional mortar), pound the garlic and ½ tsp salt to a paste. In a sturdy bowl with the bottom of a heavy cup, mash the garlic with 1 tsp salt instead.
6. 6 Add the warm plantains to the pilón along with the crushed chicharrones and the minced garlic-salt paste. Pound in a circular motion until roughly mashed; a few small chunks are correct and traditional — do not puree.
7. 7 Pour in the olive oil and 2–3 tbsp of the warm broth and continue to mash just until the mixture holds together when pressed; add more hot broth, 1 tbsp at a time, if it looks dry. Taste and adjust salt.
8. 8 Wet your hands (or the inside of a small bowl) and shape the mofongo into a dome or a cup shape, packing it firmly so it does not crumble. Mound onto warm plates.
9. 9 If serving the classic stuffed version, hollow out a well in the center of each mound and fill with stewed chicken, shrimp in garlic sauce (camarones guisados), or carne guisada. The stew itself should be at a gentle simmer and the meat fully cooked — poultry juices running clear and reaching 74 °C / 165 °F internally, shrimp curled and opaque, beef falling apart.
10. 10 Serve immediately with extra broth spooned around (not over) the mofongo so it keeps its crisp crust, and a wedge of lime if you are filling it with shrimp.