Mofongo Is Considered one of Puerto Rico’s Most Iconic Dishes—Right here’s How I Make It at House

Every time I am going again house to Puerto Rico to go to household, I at all times order mofongo from a tiny deli in Rio Piedras. It’s turn into a convention I look ahead to. Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of touristy Previous San Juan, that is one among my favourite locations for the fried plantain dish served on a plain white plate with a small cup of caldo (rooster broth) on the aspect. Enormous pilóns—seasoned picket mortar and pestles—are lined up on the stainless-steel counters and used for smashing the garlic, pork cracklings, and fried plantains into the irresistible spoonable dish. 

Mofongo is close to and pricey to me and to many different fellow Puerto Ricans, and like many beloved nationwide dishes all through the Caribbean diaspora, there tends to be a whole lot of rivalry about who makes it the very best and what to serve it with. Once I’m not in a position to take pleasure in mofongo at my favourite deli in Rio Piedras, right here’s my favourite approach to put together a conventional model at house.

Origins and Influences of Mofongo

Puerto Rican delicacies is a mix of West African, Spanish, and indigenous Taíno meals and cooking strategies. Studying extra about every of those influences has inherently formed and strengthened my connection to my cultural meals, household, and homeland. When the affect of Spanish cooking strategies and meals had been dropped at the island throughout colonization within the early 1500s, they had been overlaid onto the indigenous Taíno delicacies, in addition to the West African dishes of the enslaved populations who had been already on the island. 

Mofongo will be thought of the distant cousin of West African fufu, an identical dish of mashed starchy greens, usually plantains. The principle distinction between mofongo and fufu is the cooking methodology of the plantains themselves: Mofongo makes use of fried plantain chunks whereas fufu makes use of boiled plantains. Different mashed plantain dishes just like mofongo embrace the Dominican Republic’s mangú and Cuba’s fufu de plátano, which regularly use plantains, however may use different starchy root greens like taro, yams, or cassava.

My Recommendation for Making ready Mofongo

In eating places, Mofongo is nearly at all times ready to order and particular person servings come collectively pretty shortly. The prepare dinner smashes fried chunks of plantain with a savory rooster broth, garlic, and pork cracklings in a pilón earlier than it’s flipped in a rounded mound onto a serving plate. It’s straightforward to know why eating places put together particular person servings to order—as soon as mashed, mofongo is liable to drying out shortly. So once I make mofongo at house, I follow the restaurant method of getting ready particular person parts so I can management the feel of every serving to. Making ready mofongo this fashion requires a little bit of multitasking, nevertheless it ensures good mofongo each time. Right here’s my recommendation for getting ready moist, spoonable mofongo at house.

Begin with inexperienced plantains. Considered one of mofongo’s defining options is the usage of  fried inexperienced plantains because the starchy base. Plantains proceed to ripen after they’re harvested and their starches slowly convert into sugars, which you do not need on this recipe. Inexperienced plantains are nonetheless agency and have a excessive starch content material, which ensures that after they’re fried and mashed, the ultimate mofongo is savory, not candy, and the mashed combination is pleasantly starchy, cohesive, and absorbs seasoning simply. Consider it because the distinction between mashing potatoes versus mashing ripe bananas. Your mofongo ought to have a mashed potato–like texture, and beginning with starchy under-ripe plantains will assure this.

Fry the plantains in batches for even cooking. The trick to nice fried plantains for mofongo is to prepare dinner them at a gradual temperature, giving the outside loads of time to show crisp with out giving the plantain an opportunity to dry out. To do that, I shallow fry them, first beginning in reasonably sizzling oil (350ºF) and cooking them simply lengthy sufficient that they develop a skinny, golden, crisp exterior and are fork tender inside. To make sure the oil temperature doesn’t drop too drastically as soon as the plantains are added to the new oil, I fry them in batches—this fashion the oil temperature hovers round 350ºF the whole time they prepare dinner. If the oil temperature drops, simply elevate the warmth degree as wanted.

Use a pilón or mortar and pestle for getting ready particular person servings. At house, I desire to make use of a pilón, and name for utilizing one under. Not solely is utilizing this Puerto Rican picket mortar and pestle the standard methodology, it’s straightforward and environment friendly since all the pieces will get ready in a single vessel. There’s no want for a additional chopping of components—you’re in a position to make the dish with only one software. Additionally as soon as it’s mashed, the mofongo can simply be flipped onto the serving plate to supply the dish’s signature domed form. If you happen to don’t have a pilón, a fundamental mortar and pestle will work simply as nicely. And for those who don’t have both of those, don’t fret: You should utilize a big mixing bowl and potato masher as a substitute.

Add additional broth when mashing if wanted to make sure the very best texture. As talked about above, mofongo ought to have the feel of cohesive, chunky mashed potatoes—barely clean and tender, however with added texture from the crispy edges of the fried plantains together with the mashed pork cracklings. Since starchy plantains dry out simply and take in a whole lot of moisture, it’s possible you’ll want so as to add some rooster broth when mashing to get the proper texture. So in case your mofongo will get too dry and begins to collapse, simply preserve including the nice and cozy broth, a couple of tablespoons at a time, to bind the combination again collectively whereas smashing.

Cowl the person parts as soon as assembled. To maintain assembled parts heat whereas getting ready every serving, I like to recommend protecting the ready parts with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. This can assist them retain their warmth and also will lure in steam, additional stopping the mofongo from drying out.

Get saucy. In my view, this fried and smashed plantain combination is basically a vessel for a superb saucy second. Historically, mofongo is served with a alternative of sauces: a easy caldo, sometimes a plain rooster broth; salsa criolla, a sofrito- and tomato-based stew studded with shrimp, pork, or poultry; and al ajillo, a scampi-like sauce with tons of garlic and a superb olive oil simmered with a protein. Once I need to go large with slightly extra drama out at eating places in Puerto Rico, I’ll order al ajillo with pulpo, chunks of octopus simmered gently within the garlicky sauce. The sauces are then served on high of a mound of mofongo, stuffed on the within for a extra tidy presentation, or positioned in a bowl on the aspect.  You can even customise your individual sauce for serving with mofongo.

There are numerous unbelievable sauce choices, and I encourage you to style all of them, however personally, I desire mofongo with a small bowl of caldo. It serves double obligation right here: It is mashed into the plantains for taste and moisture, as nicely served as a sauce on the aspect. I like the truth that the easy, savory broth doesn’t overpower the plantain taste.

No matter sauce you select to serve together with your mofongo, upon getting your first chunk, you’ll discover that making mofongo at house is nicely well worth the effort. And for those who’ve by no means been to my beloved small tropical island within the Caribbean, this iconic dish is certain to encourage you to go to.