Description
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.
Scale
Ingredients
- 6 ounces of bacon
- 2 green plantain, peeled and cut into 1-inch round slices
- 1 teaspoon lite salt
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 sprigs of cilantro
- ¼ cup bacon grease released from bacon after frying
Canola oil for frying
Instructions
- Pan fry bacon until crispy. Remove and place on paper towel. In a bowl, crumble the bacon into very small pieces.
- Strain the bacon grease from skillet into a small bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add 4 cups of water with 1 teaspoon of lite salt and stir well. Place plantain slices and soak for 15 minutes. This is optional.
- In a large skillet, heat 3 cups of canola oil to 350°F. Place the plantain slices (shake any excess water) into skillet and fry until they are tender and golden on both sides. This takes about 7 to 12 minutes.
- While the plantains are frying, place 8 garlic cloves in a mortar and crush them with the pestle. Remove from mortar and place on a small plate. Set aside.
- Prepare the garlic mixture by placing the following ingredients into a bowl: add half of the crushed garlic, 1 tablespoon of EVOO, 1 sprig of chopped cilantro, and the bacon grease. Stir well and set aside.
- Remove the cooked plantain slices from skillet and place in a bowl. While they 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 the plantain slices with the other ingredients until a smooth and slightly chunky texture is formed.
- Add 2 to 3 more plantain slices into mortar with another teaspoon of the garlic mixture and bacon bits. Continue mashing until you are satisfied with the texture. Remove from mortar. Place the mofongo mixture into a large bowl, and continue this process until all the plantain slices are mashed with the garlic mixture and bacon bits.
- Once the mofongo mixture is all placed in a bowl, stir and continue mashing the mofongo with the pestle to combine all the ingredients. If you find that the mofongo is not moist enough, then add olive oil if you no longer have any leftover garlic mixture.
- Fill a 1 cup mold with ¾ cup of mofongo. 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.
- If the mofongo is served as a side dish, I like to garnish on top of the mofongo with a garlic sauce (marinade). To prepare the garlic sauce (marinade), add 2 tablespoons of EVOO, 3 sprigs of chopped cilantro, and the other half of the crushed garlic into a small bowl. Stir all the ingredients until well blended.
- 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.
Notes
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.
Prep time does not include 15 minutes of soaking since this is optional.
- Category: Side Order
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Keywords: mofongo