Mofongo de Puerco (Puerto Rican Plantain Mash with Chicharrón)

Name: Mofongo de Puerco (Puerto Rican Plantain Mash with Chicharrón)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Ingredients: 3 large green plantains; 3 cups vegetable oil; 100 g chicharrón (pork cracklings); 6 clove garlic; 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 1.5 tsp kosher salt; 120 ml chicken broth; 2 tbsp fresh cilantro; 1 piece lime

A classic Puerto Rican side or main of fried green plantains mashed with garlicky pork cracklings. Earthy, garlicky and satisfying — serve with a light broth or stewed protein.

AI image

40 min

start to finish

20 min

hands on

Some skill

difficulty

servings

4 servings

Ingredients

3 large green plantainspeeled and cut into 1–1.5 inch pieces
3 cups vegetable oilfor frying
100 g chicharrón (pork cracklings)roughly chopped; substitute: crispy cooked bacon or fried pork belly
6 clove garlicpeeled
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oilor avocado oil
1½ tsp kosher salt
120 ml chicken brothwarm; vegetable broth works to keep pork-less serving
2 tbsp fresh cilantrofinely chopped, optional
1 piece limecut into wedges to serve, optional

Roughly, per serving

540 kcal16g protein58g carbs28g fat

An estimate, not a lab analysis.

Method

Peel the plantains and cut into 1–1.5 inch pieces.
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high until it reaches 325–350°F (or a small piece sizzles on contact).
Fry the plantain pieces in batches without crowding until they are tender and pale golden, about 6–8 minutes per batch.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer fried plantains to a paper towel–lined tray and let drain for 2 minutes.
While the plantains drain, smash the garlic cloves lightly with the side of a knife and place them in your pilón (mortar) or a medium bowl.
Add the chopped chicharrón, olive oil, and kosher salt to the pilón or bowl with garlic.
Working batch by batch, add hot plantain pieces to the pilón or bowl and pound/mash until a coarse, cohesive mixture forms; add a tablespoon or two of warm chicken broth if the mash needs moisture.
Taste and adjust salt; mix in chopped cilantro if using.
Shape the mofongo into individual balls or press into small bowls and unmold onto plates.
Warm the remaining chicken broth and serve alongside the mofongo for spooning or dipping; offer lime wedges.

Worth knowing

If you don't have a pilón, use a sturdy bowl and a potato masher or the bottom of a heavy glass to press and mash in batches.
For a lighter mofongo, drain the fried plantains well and use only 1 tablespoon olive oil in the mash; for richer flavor, keep more of the chicharrón fat.
Make-ahead: form mofongo, cool, then refrigerate up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a skillet with a splash of broth to loosen the texture.

Make it yours

Cooking without dairy, without an oven, for someone who won't touch chilli, or for six instead of four? Have the recipe rewritten around it — quantities, steps and all.

Gluten-freeMeal prepKid friendly

More Puerto Rican cooking

An original Restaurant Pro recipe — our own composition in the idiom of Puerto Rican cooking, not any restaurant's recipe. Written to be gluten-free as listed.