Each 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 grow to be a convention I look ahead to. Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of touristy Previous San Juan, that is one in all my favourite locations for the fried plantain dish served on a plain white plate with a small cup of caldo (rooster broth) on the facet. Big pilóns—seasoned wood mortar and pestles—are lined up on the chrome 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 capable of take pleasure in mofongo at my favourite deli in Rio Piedras, right here’s my favourite method 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 delivered to 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 could be thought-about the distant cousin of West African fufu, an analogous dish of mashed starchy greens, usually plantains. The primary 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 can even use different starchy root greens like taro, yams, or cassava.

My Recommendation for Getting ready Mofongo

In eating places, Mofongo is nearly at all times ready to order and particular person servings come collectively pretty rapidly. 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 simple to know why eating places put together particular person servings to order—as soon as mashed, mofongo is susceptible to drying out rapidly. So once I make mofongo at house, I follow the restaurant strategy of making ready particular person parts so I can management the feel of every serving to. Getting ready mofongo this fashion requires a little bit of multitasking, but it surely ensures good mofongo each time. Right here’s my recommendation for making ready moist, spoonable mofongo at house.

Begin with inexperienced plantains. One in all 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 when 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 recent oil, I fry them in batches—this fashion the oil temperature hovers round 350ºF all the time they prepare dinner. If the oil temperature drops, simply elevate the warmth stage as wanted.

Use a pilón or mortar and pestle for making ready particular person servings. At house, I want to make use of a pilón, and name for utilizing one under. Not solely is utilizing this Puerto Rican wood mortar and pestle the normal methodology, it’s simple and environment friendly since all the things will get ready in a single vessel. There’s no want for a additional chopping of components—you’re capable of make the dish with only one device. Additionally as soon as it’s mashed, the mofongo can simply be flipped onto the serving plate to provide the dish’s signature domed form. In case you don’t have a pilón, a primary mortar and pestle will work simply as nicely. And if you happen to don’t have both of those, don’t fret: You should use 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 easy 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 absorb a whole lot of moisture, it’s doubtless you’ll want so as to add some rooster broth when mashing to get the suitable texture. So in case your mofongo will get too dry and begins to disintegrate, simply preserve including the nice and cozy broth, a number 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 making 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 entice 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 selection of sauces: a easy caldo, usually 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 wish to go huge with a bit 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 facet.  You may also customise your personal sauce for serving with mofongo.

There are a lot of unbelievable sauce choices, and I encourage you to style all of them, however personally, I want mofongo with a small bowl of caldo. It serves double responsibility right here: It is mashed into the plantains for taste and moisture, as nicely served as a sauce on the facet. I really 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, after getting your first chunk, you’ll discover that making mofongo at house is nicely definitely worth the effort. And if you happen to’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.