Traditional Puerto Rican Mofongo (25 Minutes!)
Ingredients
vegetable oil for frying the plantains
green plantains
garlic cloves
chicharrón (crispy pork skin)
3 cups vegetable oil
3 green plantains
4-5 garlic cloves
1 cup chicharrón (crispy pork skin)
Optional toppings:
cilantro
lime juice or vinegar
olive oil
chicken broth
camarones guisados
Directions
Start by heating your oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan over medium heat. While your oil is heating, prep the plantains by peeling them and slicing into 1 inch thick slices.
Once the oil is hot, gently add in the plantain slices and fry until golden brown and cooked through, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Cooking them through should take about 10 minutes, continuing to move them around in the oil occasionally so they cook evenly.
Once fully cooked, remove them from the oil and dry on a paper towel lined plate.
In a large bowl or your mortar and pestle, add the garlic and chicharrones and mash (using the back of a wooden spoon if you don't have a mortar and pestle). Add the fried plantain slices and mash them in with the garlic and pork rinds.
To serve your Puerto Rican Mofongo, fill a small bowl with the mashed plantains and flip onto a plate, to get that perfect dome-like shape.
Top with a blend of cilantro, lime juice, and olive oil and serve with chicken broth or camarones guisados (shrimp in red sauce).
Prep the plantains. Start by heating your oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan over medium heat. While the oil is heating, prep the plantains by peeling and slicing them into 1 inch slices.
Fry the plantains. Once the oil is hot, gently add in the plantain slices and fry until golden brown and cooked through (about 10 minutes), making sure to move them around in the oil occasionally so they cook evenly. Once they are cooked, remove from the oil and dry on a paper towel lined plate.
Mash the mofongo. In a large bowl or mortar and pestle add the garlic cloves and chicharrón and mash (using the back of a wooden spoon if you don't have a mortar and pestle). Add in the fried plantain slices and mash those in with the garlic and pork rinds.
Serve. To serve, fill a small bowl with your mofongo and flip onto a plate, to get that perfect dome-like shape. Top with a blend of cilantro, vinegar, and olive oil and serve with chicken broth or camarones guisados (shrimp in red sauce).
Notes
Tip: if things feel too dry before serving, you can add a few tablespoons of warm water, mayonnaise, or butter (softened to room temperature) and continue to mash.
Tip: if things feel too dry after mashing, you can add a few tablespoons of warm water, mayonnaise, or butter (softened to room temperature) and continue to mash.
For an easy sauce combine 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoon olive oil, ¼ cup cilantro and 2 teaspoon lime juice or vinegar, blend with an immersion blender and enjoy.