Mofongo

Mofongo is a popular dish in our culture that is prepared in a pilón – mortar and pestle.  It can be served as a side dish or served as a complete meal when stuffed or topped with your favorite meat or seafood.

The traditional Mofongo consists of 4 ingredients:  fried green plantains that are mashed in a wooden pilón (mortar and pestle) with chicharrón (fried pork belly or fried pork skin) along with garlic, and olive oil.   It is then formed into a ball or shaped into a dome.   Today, individuals now add butter, broth, salt, herbs, and other spices to the Mofongo.

For this cooking demonstration, I will be using bacon, which is the cut of the pork belly, to provide the pork flavor to the mofongo.

Frying and Crumbling the Bacon!

In a large skillet, place 6 ounces of bacon strips, and slowly cook over medium low heat until they become translucent before flipping the bacon to the other side.

Flip the bacon strips for even browning and crisping.  Remove the bacon that are crispy on both sides to prevent from burning.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that due to uneven heat distribution and fat content, the bacon strips will not all crisp at the same time, requiring to flip some bacon more frequently than others.

The crispy bacon strips have been placed on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess rendered fat and allow to cool for a few minutes.  

Add the bacon into a bowl, and with your hands, crumble the bacon into very small pieces or the size of your preference.

These are the bacon pieces that were crumbled by hand.  

Straining the Bacon Grease!

Strain the bacon fat into a small bowl. 

Set bacon grease aside.

NOTE:  You can substitute with 2 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter if you do not want to use bacon grease.    

Cutting, Peeling, and Soaking the Green Plantains!

You will need 2 green plantains.  With a sharp knife, cut off both ends and make 3 slits lengthwise from top to bottom barely touching the flesh. 

NOTE:  You can use disposable gloves to avoid staining your fingers.

Peel the plantain.

Cut the plantain into 1-inch round slices. 

Pour sufficient water to cover the slices of plantain.  Add 1 teaspoon of salt or to taste.  I use low sodium salt.  Mix well and soak for 15 minutes. 

NOTE:  Garlic powder is not added to the water mixture since crushed garlic will be incorporated into the mofongo.

Crushing the Garlic in a Pilón for the Mofongo!

Add 8 garlic cloves In a Pilón (Mortar and Pestle).

Crush the garlic cloves, using a pestle.

We just finished crushing the garlic cloves.  Half of the crushed garlic will be used for the mofongo mixture and the other half for the marinade topping.

Preparing the Garlic-Oil Mixture to Incorporate into the Mofongo!

Add half of the crushed garlic, 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and 1 sprig of chopped cilantro.

Pour the bacon grease.   

NOTE:  You can substitute with 2 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter.

Stir well and set aside. 

NOTE:  When using bacon grease, it tends to solidify within 1 to 2 hours at room temperature.  If this occurs, just reheat in a saucepan on top of stove over low heat.

Preparing the Garlic Sauce (Marinade) as a Topping for the Mofongo!

Add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 3 sprigs of chopped cilantro, and the other half of the crushed garlic into a small bowl.  Stir all the ingredients until well blended and set aside.

Frying the Plantain Slices!

In a large skillet, heat 3 cups of canola oil to 350°F.  Make sure to shake off or pat dry any excess water from the plantain slices before placing into skillet.   Fry until they are tender and golden.  This will take approximately 7 to 12 minutes.

After 10 minutes of frying, the plantain slices are tender and have a beautiful golden color on both sides.  Remove them from the skillet.

Place the fried plantain slices in a bowl without any paper towels to retain its moisture.

The plantain slices are golden.  If you can press down on the fried plantains and flattened them, then they are considered tender and soft inside.

Making the Mofongo, Using the Pilón!

While the plantain chunks are still hot, place at least 2 to 3 into the mortar along with 1 teaspoon of garlic mixture and 1 teaspoon of bacon bits.

With the pestle, mash them until a smooth and slightly chunky texture is formed. 

This is the first batch of mashed fried plantains. 

Add 2 to 3 more plantain slices, another teaspoon of the garlic mixture and bacon bits.  Continue mashing until you are satisfied with the texture.

Transfer mashed fried plantains from mortar into a large bowl.  I like to continue mashing the mofongo with the pestle to make sure it has the right consistency.  .  It should be soft and with a slightly chunky texture due to the bacon and plantain bits.  If you find that the mofongo is not moist enough, then add olive oil if you no longer have any leftover garlic mixture. 

Shaping the Mofongo!

Fill this 1 cup mold with ¾ cup of mofongo.  

NOTE:  You can use the mortar or a bigger mold to shape the mofongo into a dome.

 

With the back of a spoon, smooth out the surface. 

Run a knife gently around the inside edges to loosen the mofongo. 

Invert onto a plate to release the mofongo.  

Look how beautiful. 

If the mofongo is served as a side dish, I like to place on top the garlic sauce that we prepared earlier. 

Mofongo!

The mofongo can be accompanied with a main course.  It can also be served as a complete meal when stuffed or topped with your favorite meat or seafood.

Click on the button below to watch my YouTube cooking video on How to Prepare Mofongo!

Recipe and Nutritional Facts!

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only.  Please refer to our Nutritional Facts Disclaimer for more information.

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