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Puerto Rico, Americas

Mofongo

Puerto Rico's signature dish: fried green plantains pounded with garlic, olive oil and crunchy chicharrón, shaped into a dome and served with hot broth.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time35 min
DifficultyMedium
About servingsThis recipe uses hot oil. Keep children out of the kitchen, and if the oil ever catches fire, never use water: cover the pot with a lid and turn off the heat.

Method

  1. Cut 1 cm off both ends of each plantain, then score the skin lengthwise 3 or 4 times, just through the peel. Push your thumb or a spoon under the cuts and pry the peel away; green plantains do not peel like bananas, so take your time. Slice into 2.5 cm rounds.

    Add in this stepGreen plantains (large, fully green) 2

  2. In a mortar (or a sturdy bowl with a fork), crush the garlic with the salt to a smooth paste, then stir in the olive oil. This garlic oil, the mojo, carries most of the flavour.

    Add in this stepGarlic cloves 5Salt ½ tspExtra-virgin olive oil 2 tbsp

  3. Pour the frying oil into a 20 cm deep pot; it should come no more than halfway up the side. Heat it on medium-high heat for to 170 °C. No thermometer? Dip in a dry wooden chopstick: a steady stream of small bubbles means it is ready. Keep water and wet utensils well away from the pot.

    Add in this stepVegetable oil for frying 600 ml

    medium-high heat

  4. Lower the plantain slices in gently with a slotted spoon and fry on medium heat for , turning now and then. Batches: 1×. Crowding the pot drops the oil temperature and makes them greasy. They are done when pale golden and a fork slides easily into the centre; taken to deep brown and crisp, they turn hard when mashed. Drain on paper towels, turn off the burner and let the oil cool completely in the pot.

    medium heat

  5. While the plantains fry, warm the stock in a small pan on medium heat for and keep it hot.

    Add in this stepChicken stock 200 ml

    medium heat

  6. Mash while the plantains are still hot, one portion at a time. Put one portion of plantain in the mortar with an equal share of the garlic oil and one portion of crumbled chicharrón, and pound until it holds together. If it feels dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the hot stock. Aim for cohesive but slightly chunky, not smooth like mashed potato. Press it firmly into a small bowl, turn it out onto a plate as a dome, pour some of the remaining stock around it and serve straight away.

    Add in this stepChicharrón (crispy fried pork rinds) 50 g

Cook's tip

Choose plantains that are completely green and hard; yellow ones are sweet and soft and turn mushy. Crumbled crisp bacon can stand in for chicharrón. Mofongo firms up as it cools, so eat it right away.

Cooking it at camp

With a burner and a deep pot you can follow the recipe as written, but deep-fry only on flat, sheltered ground. A safer option: slice the plantains 2 cm thick, shallow-fry them in 5 mm of oil in a frying pan, turning once, then pound them in a zip bag with the bottom of a mug.