Mofongo Puerto Rican Style Plantains are a paleo friendly , delicious, sub for mashed potatoes. Made with mashed plantains, garlic and bacon, you may even like it better than potatoes!
While visiting the beautiful Island of Puerto Rico last summer, I became obsessed with their delicious Mofongo. I must have ate at least 5 different kinds. I learned to make it, but had to change it a little to make it more Paleo friendly.
It can be made as a side dish, or topped with marinated beef, chicken, or shrimp as a main-dish.
Mofongo Puerto Rican Style Plantains
Ingredients
- 3 Large Green Plantains not yellow or red ones ( do not sub with banana)
- 4 Cups Organic Chicken Broth or Home made chicken broth
- 3 Coves Garlic Peeled and Chopped.
- 5 Slices of Bacon ( uncured nitrate free kind)
- ⅓ Cup fresh Cilantro chopped
- ¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 Cloves Garlic Peeled and minced
- ½ teaspoon Himilayan Sea Salt * optional
- ½ Lb to 1 Marinated and cooked Beef, Chicken or Shrimp ( I marinate mine in a sauce of : 2 tablespoon olive oil, 2 cloves minced garlic, 3 tablespoon cilantro, 2 tablespoon lime juice and 1 tablespoon vinegar, then bake for 20 or more minutes in 400 F oven.) * optional, omit if making this a side dish.
Instructions
- Put on some rubber gloves, really do it, plantains stain your skin and nails black.
- Chop ends off plantains.
- Score ,with sharp knife, the plantains down each rib, about four lines.
- Wedge your fingers or a spoon between plantain and the peel ,then slide down until each scored section of the peel comes off.* might take a little practice.
- Chop Plantains into small slices, and add to a stock pot.
- Pour chicken broth over plantains in pot.
- Add 3 cloves chopped Garlic to broth, and bring pot to a boil.
- turn heat down to medium, cover pot and boil for 25 to 30 minutes, or until plantains are really soft.
- while Plantains are cooking, Fry Bacon slices till crisp.
- Remove bacon from pan and set on paper towels.
- Add 4 cloves of minced Garlic to bacon grease in pan, and saute until softened.
- Chop bacon into crumbles.
- Add: bacon, garlic with a little bacon grease, chopped cilantro, and olive oil to a food processor.
- Process until a paste forms, remove paste and put in a bowl, and set aside.
- Drain cooked plantains in a colander.
- Place plantains back in the warm pot and mash with a potato masher or electric hand beater.
- Mash or beat until it forms a "lumpy mash potato" consistency.
- Add the bacon cilantro paste to your mashed plantains, and stir in well.
- Separate mashed plantains into 4 lumps.
- Mold each lump on a plate with your clean hands, (sorry, o.c.d moment).
- you can do a dome shape, or I make a dome then flatten the top ( like a plateau shape)
- Put marinated meat over top for main dish, or leave plain for a side dish.
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Nutrition
Calories: 305kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 5gFat: 16gFiber: 1.9g
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Andrea
Just an aside, to make peeling easier, you can just take a knife and score the plantains' peels lengthwise as above, then chop the plantains in 4 pieces and boil with the peels on. The peels will come right off with no effort once the plantains are boiled.
Stacey
Thanks, Adrea, for the great time-saving tips!
Joscelyn Velez
You are right I'm Puerto Rican to does not taste the same
Lashalle Esquilin
I boil my plátanos allow them to drain them dry. They are just easier to manage that way. It is still Mofongo just without the labor of smashing forever.
Stacey
Good to know 🙂 Thanks
Jenny
Just made it w coconut oil and clarified butter! Still yum. Thanks for creating this!
Stacey
Jenny, Thanks for trying the recipe. You can't go wrong with clarified butter!!
~Stacey
laura
Although, the mofongo recipe sounds great . In reality is not mofongo , when you boil the green plaintains , and mash them it becomes mangu (Dominican republic ) or fufu (Cuba) , will never can be call mofongo ... I'm a puertorican native...
Stacey
Laura, I know it is not traditional Mofongo by any means as I did not use tostones to make them. I have made them that way before, but was trying out a simpler way to make plantains. The Monfongo I had in Fajardo, Puerto Rico was the best I've ever had.
~Stacey
Cindy
We loved the mofongo we had in Puerto Rico and wanted make it here at home. The gloves and preparation seemed a bit much, so I tried a more unconventional approach. I roasted the plantains in foil on the grill, along side my grilled chicken. The peels pop open when the plantains are done and it was so easy to remove the plantain and mash it up with the cilantro, garlic, and cooked bacon. Yum. The second time I took it out of the foil and fried it a bit in the bacon pan.
Stacey
Hi cindy, that sounds much easier. Peeling them, is the part I dislike the most. Will have to try the grilling method. Thanks for the tip.
Sincerely,
stacey
Magess
Is there a good way to reheat this?
Stacey
Hi Magess,
It can be reheated, but does tend to get a little dry when reheated. I would add some broth to it, while reheating to counteract any dryness.
Sincerely,
Stacey
Maria
Hello, I am puertorrican and also make it frying the plantains and with "chicharron". Now, this sounds really good and healthier. I am making it today. I am pretty sure this recipe is very close to how they make it in Dominican Republic and they call it Mangu. Thank you for sharing this Paleo Mofongo.
Stacey
Hi Maria, I love Puerto Rico and all their amazing food. I have never been to the Dominican Republic. But,I would love to go there and try Mangu. I hope you like this version almost as much as the traditional one. Thanks for trying it.
Sincerely,
Stacey
TJ
The traditional mofongo recipe calls for making tostones, then mashing them. Justboiling the plantains would probably produce a texture much softer than true mofongo.
Stacey
Hi TJ, You are correct. I have made mofongo the traditional way in PR. I was trying to make them in a "somewhat" healthier, and faster way. It is much softer than authentic Mofongo. The traditional kind usually has chicharrones instead of bacon also. I do love it made with tostones, however.
Sincerely,
Stacey
unidadla.org
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With thanks, Tanya