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Authentic Mofongo Recipe Puerto Rico, North America

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We strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though

Introduction & history

Green plantain, pork cracklings chicharrón, garlic, and salt is all you need to make mofongo. However, there is, thankfully, more than one way to make it. Often, olive oil or chicken broth is added to moisten the mixture a bit, and sometimes a ripe plantain is used instead of a green one, while the use of either cassava, taro, eddoe, breadfruit, or a mixture of plantains and cassava instead of plantains is also quite widespread. Also, mofongo can have a seafood or a meat filling — alternatively, these can be just poured over a mofongo — in which case we are talking of mofongo relleno. The preparation starts with frying the plantain slices until golden, then mashing them in a pilón, a special mortar from Puerto Rico. Once mashed a bit, garlic, pork cracklings, and salt are added, and the mixture is mashed some more until well combined. The mixture is then shaped into a dome and typically served with fried meat on top and broth soup on the side.... Read more

Cooking tips

  • method

    When frying the plantains, the temperature should never be above 350°F as the plantains need to cook throughout. They should also be fried only until lightly golden otherwise they will be too dry to mash. For mashing the plantains, if you do not own a pilón, you can use a potato masher instead. The garlic should be pounded to a paste before it’s added to the plantains, unlike mofongo which should ... Read more
  • serving

    Serve with fried meat and broth on the side. You can also serve it with salsa criolla, a Puerto Rican tomato, onion, peppers, and garlic sauce.

Recipe variations

Puerto Rican Mofongo

PREP 20min

COOK 15min

READY IN 35min

4.7

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In this variant, the addition of bacon and stock makes for a more moist and flavorful mofongo. It is the creation of chef Sergio Remolina, a former director of Latin cuisines at The Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio.

Ingredients

4 Servings

Puerto Rican Mofongo

4 green plantains

2 cups canola or olive oil

Kosher salt to taste

6 garlic cloves

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 pound crisp fried pork rinds, also known as chicharrón

1 slice of bacon, cooked

1 cup low-sodium chicken stock

Preparation

1

Puerto Rican Mofongo

Step 1/8

Peel the plantains and then cut them into 1-inch thick slices.

Step 2/8

Fry the plantains in batches in a 350°F oil for seven minutes, until golden, but not browned. Transfer on paper towels to drain.

Step 3/8

Mash the garlic with some salt in a mortar and pestle, then add olive oil, and pound away until you get a paste. Transfer the garlic to a small bowl.

Step 4/8

Now, in the same mortar and pestle mash half of the plantains with half of the remaining ingredients (add up to half of the chicken stock, if needed).

Step 5/8

Shape the mass into 2-inch balls.

Step 6/8

Repeat the same with the rest of the ingredients.

Step 7/8

Keep the mofongo in a warm oven until it’s time to serve.

Step 8/8

If desired, top with crushed chicharrón or sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

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