Content

• Ingredients
• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

Mofongo is a traditional Caribbean dish, the main ingredient of which is unripe and firm green plantains (so-called vegetable bananas). Yellow and soft fruits for him unsuitable... This dish is very popular in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and other islands of the Caribbean Sea, and thanks to immigrants from Puerto Rico, it has spread throughout the world. Mofongo can be served on its own, as a side dish, or with a variety of toppings that make it a great main course. It is not difficult to prepare it, but you still cannot do without some effort. So here's the mofongo recipe.

Ingredients

• One by one unripe green banana (plantain is best) per serving
• Garlic (whole or minced) to taste
• Pork rinds (optional)
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Vegetable oil for frying
• For filled mofongo: beef stew, chicken, shrimp ... whatever your heart desires!

Steps

1. 1 Prepare the oil. Pour 2.5-5 cm of vegetable oil into a deep frying pan or wok and heat to 180ºC. If you don't have a cooking thermometer, throw a slice of banana into the skillet; it should immediately sizzle and begin to grill.
2. 2 Peel the bananas. Make a shallow cut along one of the "ribs" and carefully peel off the skin. The banana will be easier to peel if you first dip it in hot water for 2-3 minutes to soften the skin.
3. 3 Slice the bananas across into slices about 1 inch thick.
4. 4 Fry the bananas in small portions until dark yellow. Try not to overcook. Bananas should be well done, but not brown or they will not give the consistency you want.
5. 5 Line a bowl with a paper towel and place the bananas there to drain off any excess oil.
6. 6 Place 4-5 slices of fried banana in a wooden mortar and mash with a pestle. Then add a couple of cloves of garlic, some pork rinds (to make the dish slightly crispy, but not overpower the taste), 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and mash again. Instead of using a mortar, you can grind bananas in a food processor, but this will vary in consistency and may require more olive oil.
7. 7 Place the mashed potatoes on a plate and shape them into a hemisphere.
   • If you serve the mofongo without the filling, you're done. It remains to put salad, meat, etc. on his plate.
   • If you are going to stuff the mofongo with something, use a large spoon or hand to make a depression in the ball and pour the filling into it.
   • Bon Appetit!
8. 8 Ready.

Tips

• Some connoisseurs find that as a stand-alone dish, mofongo is best served in a deep plate partially filled with a rich chicken or fish broth.
• In the Dominican Republic, a similar, but much less dense dish called "manga" is prepared.
• Don't forget to buy so much green bananashow many servings of mofongo are you going to cook. The rule is simple: one medium banana - one serving. The bananas should be completely green and very firm. If the banana is soft in some places, and the peel has begun to turn yellow, then it is already too ripe and, due to its sweetness, is not suitable for mofongos.

Warnings

• This dish is not low in calories, but if you are on a diet, you can make some changes to the recipe:
  • Use canola oil to fry bananas.
  • Do not add cracklings or replace them with crunchy nuts such as chunks of almonds or walnuts (unless you and your guests are allergic to nuts, of course). This is a great idea for vegetarians too.
  • Use extra virgin olive oil and add a little to the mashed bananas, just enough to achieve the desired thickness. Extra virgin oil is more expensive than usual, but it has a more pronounced taste, and very little is enough.
• Make sure the bananas are well done. If the slices are still light yellow and soggy in the middle, fry them longer. Unripe raw bananas can hurt your stomach!
• This dish does not keep well in the refrigerator. Do not store leftovers for longer than a day or two. Preheat the mofongo in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes per serving.
• Don't use ripe bananas. If the bananas have become soft and partially or completely yellowed, this means that they have already begun to ripen and will only spoil your dish.

What do you need

• Deep frying pan, ideally a wok.
• Paper towels to dry the fried bananas and a bowl
• Wooden mortar with pestle. A mortar made of marble or some other hard material will work, but in wood, bananas stick more to the walls, so it's easier to knead them. If you don't have a mortar, you can grind the bananas in a food processor.
• Plates and cutlery