Puerto Rican Mofongo Recipe
This mofongo recipe is special for its flavor and texture, no one can resist the taste of an exquisite well-prepared Mofongo. When we think of good foods from the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, many of us generally remember mofongo, a very well-known and tasty dish that is eaten throughout Puerto Rico.
Mofongo is one of our Puerto Rican delicacies and we can prepare it in any country we find ourselves because it is prepared with ingredients that are very easy to obtain. Mofongo is made with fried green plantains (they can also be cooked) and mashed.
For its distinguished flavor, ground garlic is added and, optionally, some people choose to add small pieces of well-toasted fried pork or add pieces of toasted bacon or pieces of toasted pork skin chicharrón. Personally, I prefer it only with garlic.
Recipe for 2 to 3 people
Ingredients
- 3 green bananas
- crushed or ground garlic (the amount is optional according to your personal taste)
- oil of your choice for frying
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste (optional)
Procedures
Wash and peel the bananas and cut them into slices about 1 inch thick.
Put enough oil for frying in a frying pan, let it heat up and then put the heat on medium low and carefully add the banana slices little by little to the oil.
Fry the banana slices for around 5 – 6 minutes on each side at a medium-low temperature or until they turn a light golden color. We want them to cook well on the inside but not be too toasted on the outside. If we understand that the fire is still too high, we must lower it further. Make sure to turn them halfway through, so that they are well cooked on all sides. You can check that they are cooked well by piercing them with a fork.
When they are well cooked, remove them from the oil and put them in a wooden bowl (pilón) or a stone molcajete and mash them in batches to mash them and gradually add the crushed garlic, try to ensure that the dough is not too wet but not too dry either.
As you mash, add a little salt and black pepper to taste (optional) being very careful not to add too much so as not to damage the mofongo. It is at this moment that if you also want to add toasted pork skin chicharrón, bacon or fried meat, you can do so as you like while continuing to mix everything and mash to create the mofongo.
It is important to mash the fried plantains before they cool so that they are soft and much easier and more manageable to mash.
When you have mashed all the bananas, use a container to form the mofongos and give them the shape you want depending on the container, or if you used a pestle to mash them, you can help yourself with a metal spoon to be very careful not to break the mofongo edges by detaching it from the pilón and then pour it onto a plate and you can leave it in the shape that the pilón gives it without having to mold it in another additional container.
Serve it hot and accompany it with broth or your favorite meat or seafood.
Additional notes
You can make a mixture of mayonnaise and ketchup with a little garlic well mixed to create a delicious dressing which in Puerto Rico we call «Mayo-ketchup» and you pour that dressing over the mofongo and it gives it a delicious taste. (but that’s optional.
You can also use as a dressing the broth or sauce of some stewed meat or in sauce that you have prepared to accompany the mofongo.
You can accompany it with chop, chicken, fried pork or beef, stewed meat, shrimp in sauce or garlic, a seafood salad, seafood in sauce or in garlic sauce. There is a wide variety of accompaniments for this delicious dish, you can really accompany it with whatever you want or simply enjoy it alone. Personally, I really like it with shrimp in garlic sauce or with fried pork with a lettuce and tomato salad on the side and a little of Mayo-ketchup on the mofongo.
This portion with 3 large bananas is approximately enough for 2 good-sized mofongos or 3 smaller mofongos.
If you wish, you can also make the mofongo in the shape of a deeper plate in the center and fill it inside with your favorite meat and then it would be a stuffed mofongo.
Let us know in the comments if you liked the recipe. Also, if you wish, you can tell us if you made the mofongo following our recipe and share your experience and how it turned out. We would like you to tell us what meat you prefer to accompany your mofongo and if you made the mayo-ketchup.
