Mofongo (Puerto Rican Smashed Green Plantain with Garlic and Pork)

About This Recipe

Mofongo is the dish that captures the soul of Puerto Rican cooking — African in technique, Caribbean in ingredients, and uniquely Boricua in spirit. Brought to the island by enslaved West Africans (the technique closely resembles West African fufu), mofongo evolved by replacing yams with the green plantains that grew everywhere on the island, and adding the garlic and chicharrón (crispy pork) that defined creole Spanish cooking. To make it, unripe green plantains are fried in oil until just tender, then transferred to a wooden mortar called a pilón and smashed with crispy chicharrón cracklings, generous amounts of fresh garlic mashed to a paste with olive oil and salt, and a splash of chicken broth to keep it from being too dry. The pounded mixture is packed firmly into a small bowl to set its shape, then turned out onto a plate as a dense, fragrant dome of green-gold plantain studded with golden flecks of crispy pork. Served either dry as a starch with stewed meat, or — more spectacularly — in a deep bowl pooled with garlicky chicken broth (mofongo en caldo) or topped with a generous ladle of shrimp in tomato-garlic sauce (mofongo con camarones), it is the ultimate Puerto Rican comfort food, served in beachside chinchorros and white-tablecloth restaurants alike from San Juan to Ponce to Mayagüez.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4 largevery green plantains (skin should be hard and entirely green)(ripe yellow plantains will not work)
• neutral oil for frying (about 500 ml)
• 8garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tspkosher salt, plus more to taste
• 4 tbspextra-virgin olive oil
• 200 gpork chicharrón (crispy pork rinds), broken into small pieces(Mexican or Caribbean chicharrón, not American pork rinds)
• 120 mlwarm chicken broth (homemade or low-sodium), for moistening
• extra chicken broth or shrimp sauce, lime wedges, and cilantro for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Peel the green plantains

   Green plantain skin is much tougher than ripe banana — score lengthwise with a sharp knife along the ridges, going through the skin only, then pry off in strips. If they resist, soak in warm salted water 10 minutes first. Cut peeled plantains into 2.5 cm thick rounds.

   Rub your hands with oil before peeling — the sap stains hands black and is hard to remove.

2. 2

   Soak the plantain rounds

   Place the rounds in a bowl of warm water with 1 tbsp salt for 15 minutes. This seasons them and prevents them from absorbing too much oil during frying. Drain and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels — wet plantains splatter dangerously.

3. 3

   Fry the plantains

   Heat 4 cm of neutral oil in a deep skillet to 175°C / 350°F. Fry the plantain rounds in batches, 4 minutes per side, until they're golden but not crisp — they should be tender enough that a fork easily pierces them. Lift onto paper towel-lined plate. Do not over-fry; they should still be soft.

4. 4

   Make the garlic paste

   In a mortar and pestle (or with the flat of a chef's knife), mash the peeled garlic cloves with 1 tsp salt into a smooth, fragrant paste. Stir in the olive oil to make a loose, intensely garlicky oil. This is the soul of mofongo — don't skimp on garlic.

5. 5

   Pound the mofongo

   Working in 2 batches in a wooden pilón (or a large mortar, or a sturdy bowl with the bottom of a heavy mug), add several pieces of fried plantain, a generous spoonful of broken chicharrón, a spoon of garlic-olive oil, and a splash of warm broth. Pound and grind with a downward-twisting motion for 90 seconds — you want a coarse, chunky mash, not a smooth purée. Visible bits of chicharrón and garlic should remain.

6. 6

   Shape the dome

   Pack the pounded mixture firmly into a small cereal-bowl (about 250 ml capacity), pressing down to compact. The shape needs to hold when turned out. Place a serving plate over the bowl, flip together, and lift the bowl off — you should have a smooth dome of mofongo standing proud on the plate. Repeat for each serving.

7. 7

   Serve

   For dry mofongo: serve with a small bowl of warm chicken broth on the side for diners to spoon over. For mofongo en caldo: ladle hot chicken broth around the dome until it pools 2 cm deep. For mofongo con camarones: ladle a generous helping of shrimp in tomato-garlic sauce over and around the dome. In all cases, garnish with cilantro and a lime wedge.

Variations

• •

  Mofongo con camarones — topped with shrimp simmered in tomato-garlic-sofrito sauce; the most popular restaurant version.

• •

  Trifongo — uses three starches (green plantain, sweet plantain and yuca) all smashed together for a deeper, sweeter flavor.

• •

  Vegan mofongo — skip the chicharrón and use crispy fried mushrooms or chickpeas for the salty crunch element.

• •

  Mofongo stuffed (relleno) — hollow out the dome and fill with stewed beef, chicken or shrimp for a heartier preparation.

Storage

Mofongo dries out quickly — best eaten within 30 minutes of making. Leftovers refrigerate 2 days, but reheat tightly covered in a 180°C / 360°F oven with a tablespoon of broth poured over to re-moisten. Freezing not recommended — texture suffers badly.

Frequently Asked Questions