Mofongo

Plantains are one of the many foods that are crucial to Puerto Rican cuisine. And of the many dishes we use plantains in, mofongo is hands down one of my absolute favorites. It's a good bit of work but well worth the effort and honestly? Growing up, we only had mofongo on special occasions (because plantains were so hard to find in Charleston when I was young) so it holds a special place in my heart with some fond food memories and great connections back on the island. Growing up, my mom would make mofongo and stuff our turkey with it on Thanksgiving; that's how big of a deal it was.

By focusing on Puerto Rican cuisine and foods from my homeland, growing up I knew that many other traditional Caribbean foods could easily be traced back to Western Africa. The older I've gotten though, I found that the connection of our foods throughout the diaspora is something that's become very important to me. And I feel that it's one of the many reasons that delicious food is able to bring so many different cultures together. And one of those dishes is mofongo! It evolved from West African fufu and many different countries in the Caribbean and in Latin America have their own versions of mofongo with different names like fufu in Cuba or mangú in the Dominican Republic.

Smashed, fried plantains (or root vegetables) mixed with lots of fresh garlic, salt, and oil. We either serve it as is with an addition of pork cracklings, or with caldo (a simple chicken broth). Another way mofongo is served is relleno, stuffed with meat or seafood stewed in either a tomato-based criolla sauce or a garlic cream sauce. The dish isn't for the faint of heart and I honestly rarely eat it because it's a ton of work and it's not the healthiest thing to eat. I save the enjoyment for when I visit Puerto Rico every other year and will have it as the first thing I enjoy on the island while I'm there.

This recipe is pretty straightfoward (and not very measured), but timing is most crucial. You have to work with the smashed plantain while it's still hot in order to keep it soft while forming it into a ball. And you can't let it get too cold before it hardens up and falls apart. It doesn't hold well the next day, so it's one of those things you have to enjoy fresh and hot! Also, this dish can easily be adapted to vegetarian or vegan by omitting the pork cracklings and using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth!

Mofongo

Cook time: 30-45 minutes

Serves: 4-6 (based on how many plantains you get, I'd say a plantain per person)

Vegetable oil

5 green plantains, cut into large slices

Garlic cloves, smashed into a paste (about 3 cloves per plantain)

Olive oil

Kosher salt

1 small bag pork cracklings, smashed (see note)

Warm water or chicken broth

Note: an easy way to smash the pork cracklings is to put them into a plastic freezer bag and smash them to pieces with a large spoon or rolling pin. If you want to make this vegetarian/vegan, simply omit the pork cracklings and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

In a large pot, add enough vegetable oil to fry the plantains. Honestly, I just use an entire standard sized bottle of a blended canola oil for this. Over medium heat, bring the oil up to temperature. While the oil is heating up, peel the plantains and slice them into chunks (very similar to the method used for making tostones).

After the plantains are cut, get the garlic ready for smashing. I used my three-generation old pilón to do this but you can easily do it with the side of a knife or with a small food processor. Either way, add a little bit of kosher salt to act as an abrasive to help mush the garlic down into a paste.

Set the garlic aside. Then, once the oil is ready, add the plantains and fry until they're golden brown on the outside. For mofongo, don't drain the plantains too much (a slotted spoon will do you just fine here). You want to keep some of the oil to help with mashing them together and forming the ball.

Here is where you'll work quickly. While the plantains are still hot, use a potato masher to mash them up. Then add a little bit of the garlic paste and pork cracklings. Taste and season accordingly with kosher salt and olive oil. If the plantain mixture gets a little too dry, add a small bit of warm water or broth to adjust the consistency. It should look like chunky, mashed potatoes.

Once the mixture is slightly smooth enough to roll, add a little bit of oil to your hands and roll the mofongo up into small balls like below. Think of it like rolling up a meatball. You don't want to pack the plantain up too tightly but just enough to keep its shape.

Serve immediately with a protein, a side of rice and beans, or with a simple caldo (drop it into the bowl of broth or soup) and enjoy! If you want it solo, top it with some quick-pickled red onions for a nice contrast in flavor.

¡Buen provecho!