Mofongo Recipe
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This Puerto Rican style Mofongo is garlicky, smooth, and creamy. It’s made with fried green plantains mashed with fresh garlic, oil, crispy pork cracklings (chicharrones), and chicken broth. Tip: grinding garlic with oil BEFORE adding fried plantains for a more balanced flavor!
Serve it fresh and hot as the pork rinds can get soggy! Enjoy it as a delicious side dish with your favorite sauce, or as a comforting main dish by stuffing it with shrimp or chicken!
This mofongo recipe takes me back to my trip to Puerto Rico, where I enjoyed freshly made mofongo in restaurants almost daily! There are so many stuffing and sauces options to keep it interesting.
You’ll want to serve it with everything. Some people even serve mofongo instead of mashed potatoes!
Authentic mofongo
But first, what exactly is mofongo?
This traditional Puerto Rican dish is made from green plantains, which are fried and then mashed before being seasoned with other ingredients. It’s popular in other Caribbean countries such as Dominica too. Try serving it as a standalone side dish or stuffing it with proteins or vegetables for a heartier main dish.
The best mofongo = Perfect texture + Balanced flavor!
Authentic mofongo has a smooth and creamy texture with a nice crispy element from pork rinds. When prepared properly, it shouldn’t be dry or sticky.
Many recipes instruct you to add green plantain pieces to hot oil, but a brown crust will form and prevent you from getting a smooth texture. So the perfect mofongo comes down to two tricks:
Trick #1: I use the shallow fry technique and add plantains to WARM (but not hot oil) for that perfect texture. DON’T BROWN your plantains as the browned exterior cannot be mashed easily. Getting the hard little bits in your mofongo is not pleasant!
Trick # 2: Grind the garlic cloves with olive oil first before adding other ingredients! Restaurant-quality mofongo has savory, sweet and rich flavors with garlicky notes. This trick gives you a balanced flavor without the overpowering garlic taste.
Mofongo ingredients
All you need is green plantains, garlic, oil, pork rinds, and chicken broth. You don’t need any extra ingredients if you use the right technique!
Green plantains
Make sure to use GREEN plantains, whose starchy texture makes them suitable for savory dishes like this one. Avoid using yellow plantains, which are sweeter and won’t give you the right flavor or texture.
Other ingredients
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic, which adds a bold and pungent flavor to the dish.
- Pork cracklings are known as chicharrónes in Puerto Rico and create the characteristic crunchy texture in mofongo. They’re simply the pork rinds available in most supermarkets.
- Olive oil helps to create a smooth texture and serves as a binder. You can use extra virgin olive oil for this recipe.
- Salt makes the flavor pop!
- Chicken broth adds moisture to achieve the perfect consistency.
How to make it
- Peel and cut green plantains
- Peel the skin. Green plantains are harder to peel! I recommend cutting off both ends of the plantain first.
- Then use a sharp knife to score the skin lengthwise (3 to 4 lines) and try not to cut too deep.
- Use your fingers to separate the skin from the flesh.
- Cut the peeled plantain into 1-inch pieces. Try to cut them to the same thickness so that they’ll cook evenly in the skillet.
- Shallow fry (Not deep fry)
You don’t need to DEEP-FRY these plantains. I always shallow fry my plantains like the Puerto Ricans. Reason: you can fry more plantains in a large skillet, and they cook more evenly! Plus, using more oil really isn’t necessary.
- Add about 1/2 inch of oil to the skillet over medium heat. After 1 minute, and the oil is slightly WARM, add the plantain slices.
- Fry for about 5-7 minutes or until the bottom just starts to change color (BUT NOT BROWN). Lower the heat, turn the slices, and fry the other side for about 3-4 minutes.
- Transfer fried plantains to a large plate lined with paper towels.
⚠️ Caution! To achieve a smooth texture, make sure NOT to brown the plantains!
- Mash
- Add 1 garlic clove, 2 teaspoons oil, and a pinch of salt to a mortar. Grind against the side of the mortar until you see a smooth paste.
- Add 4-5 pieces of fried plantain slices. Mash them with the pestle. Add 3-4 more pieces and 2 teaspoons of chicken broth. Mash and mix.
- Crush the pork rinds into crumbs and add them to the mortar. Mix to combine. Taste, and add more salt or chicken broth if needed.
Tip: Grind garlic with oil FIRST. You’re basically creating garlic-infused oil to avoid having chunks of raw garlic and an overpowering taste.
- Shape mofongo
Once you’ve got the desired taste and consistency, press the mofongo into a 4-oz bowl firmly. To unmold, simply turn the bowl upside down on a serving plate.
How to serve Mofongo
- Straight up as a delicious side dish!
- Mofongo sauce – a classic garlic sauce or a tangy mojo sauce will complement mofongo very well.
- Stuff it with proteins or veggies and turn it into a comforting main dish! Popular choices are shrimp, chicken, seafood salad, beef, and any cooked vegetables.
It’s best served hot and fresh. The texture can become too firm and the pork rinds will be soggy as it sits.
If you don’t have a mortar and pestle
Traditionally, people use a mortar and pestle to make mofongo to get the right texture and infuse flavors. If you don’t have one, you can use a bowl and the back of a wooden spoon. It may take longer, but whatever you do AVOID the food processor, which will over-mix and create a heavy texture.
How to re-use oil
As the plantains are not seasoned prior to frying, you can reuse the oil for other recipes. First, let it cool to room temperature in the skillet. Strain it through a fine mesh to remove any debris. Transfer the oil to an airtight container and store it in a cool and dark place. Don’t reuse it more than twice!
More Delicious Caribbean Recipes
Watch mofongo recipe video
Mofongo Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 large green plantains*, (for 4 sevings)
- vegetable oil for frying
- 1 cup pork crackling crumbs**, (use about 1/4 cup for each mofongo)
- 4 cloves garlic***, skin peeled, (use 1 clove for each mofongo)
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil, (use 2-3 teaspoons for each mofongo)
- salt, to taste
- 3-4 tablespoons chicken broth, (use 2-3 teaspoons for each mofongo)
- optional proteins or veggies to fill stuff your mofongo
Instructions
- Peel the skin off green plantains. Cut off both ends of the plantain. Then use a sharp knife to score the skin lengthwise and try not to cut too deep. Use your fingers to pry open and peel off the skin from the flesh.
- Cut and peeled plantain. Cut them into 1-inch pieces. (The same thickness will help them to cook evenly in the skillet.)
- Fry the plantains. Add about half an inch of oil to the skillet over medium heat. Heat for about 1 minute and the oil starts to warm up (NOT HOT!), add the plantain slices.
- Fry for about 5-7 minutes or until the bottom just starts to change color. Turn the slices, and fry the other side for about 3-4 minutes. (Don’t brown your plantains, lower the heat if the oil is too hot.)
- Transfer fried plantains to a large plate lined with paper towels.
- Grind garlic with oil. Add 1 garlic clove, 2 teaspoons oil, and a pinch of salt to a mortar. Grind against the side of the mortar until you see a smooth paste.
- Mash plantains. Add 4-5 pieces of fried plantain slices. Mash them with the pestle until there is more space in the mortar. Add 3-4 more pieces of plantain and 2 teaspoons of chicken broth. Mash until the mixture becomes smooth.
- Add pork cracklings. Crush the pork rinds into crumbs and add 1/4 cup to the mortar. Mix until the pork cracklings are evenly distributed. Taste, and add more salt or chicken broth if needed. Don’t mash your pork crackling crumbs if you want to have a crispy taste in your mofongo.
- Shape mofongo and serve. Once you’ve got the desired taste and consistency, press the mofongo into a 4-oz bowl firmly. Flip out the bowl onto a plate. Remove the plate. Repeat this with the rest of the ingredients.
- (Optional) Stuff with proteins/veggies. Add the mofongo mixture to the bowl, press them FIRMLY to the side, and leave a well in the middle. Fill it with cooked shrimp or shredded chicken (or beef). Add more mofongo mixture on the top. Press FIRMLY to seal. Flip out the bowl. Serve hot and enjoy!
Equipment
Notes
- *I recommend buying green plantains and using them immediately, as they start to turn yellow quickly. My green plantains turn yellow and become ripe after sitting at room temperature for two days.
- **Leave out the pork cracklings for a vegan dish.
- *** As you’ll eat the garlic raw, it’s important to remove the green sprout in the middle of your fresh garlic.
- This recipe makes Puerto Rican style mofongo. If you want to try Dominican style, use roasted plantains instead of fried.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, wrap the mofongo in a damp paper towel. Microwave in 30-second intervals until warmed through.
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