Mofongo is a traditional Puerto Rican side dish made with mashed fried plantains, chicharrones, and garlic. It is typically topped with garlic shrimp and it is absolutely delicious!
If you like mofongo, check out these other side dishes: arroz con gandules, arroz apastelado, guineos en escabeche, ensalada de papa, yuca majada, y yuca con mojo.
What is mofongo?
Mofongo is an iconic Puerto Rican dish made by frying green plantains and then mashing them with chicharrones (crispy pork skin) in a wooden mortar and pestle (pilón) with lots of fresh garlic, olive oil and butter. It is a flavorful dish often served as a side and topped with meat or seafood and broth.
Ingredients for making mofongo:
- Green plantains
- Garlic
- Onion
- Cilantro
- Olive oil
- Mantequilla
- Broth
- Chicharrónes
- El Bori chorizo
- Sal
- Oil, for frying
*Find the full recipe with measurements at the bottom of this post or click the Jump to Recipe button at the top of this page.
How to make mofongo?
Cook the chorizo
Adding chorizo is completely optional but I like to add El Bori chorizo to the mofongo and it adds great flavor and texture to the final dish. Dice the chorizo and set aside. Place a pan over medium heat and add the chorizo. Cook for about 5 minutes or until golden brown.
Make the garlic butter sauce
Place a pan over medium heat. Add butter, olive oil, garlic, onions and cilantro. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
Fry the plantains
Place a frying pan over medium heat. Add about 3 cups of oil. The oil should come to about 325℉-350℉. Peel the green plantains and cut them into 1-inch slices.
Fry the plantains for about 10 minutes, flipping them a few times until golden brown on both sides. The plantains should fry low and slow to ensure they fully cook through, without burning.
Place the cooked plantains on a paper towel-lined plate.
Mash the mofongo
To a mortar and pestle (pilón), add the fried plantains, garlic butter sauce, broth, chicharrones and chorizo, (if using). Mash everything until well combined. Season with salt to taste.
For perfectly shaped mofongo, add the mofongo to a small bowl and press gently to form a solid shape. Flip the bowl onto a plate and serve the mofongo with garlic shrimp or meat or choice. Enjoy! ¡Buen provecho!
If you are hosting a party and want to make the appetizer version of this dish, try making these. mofongo cups! I like to use these gold cupcake liners from my amazon store. You can also use reusable silicone cups. My recipe makes about 4 (3.5 oz) cups.
I made these mofongo cups for Super Bowl festivities this year aka the Benito Bowl and they were a hit!
Tips for making perfect mofongo:
- I like to cook the garlic before adding it to the plantains. I feel it tastes much better that way and helps eliminate the strong taste of raw garlic, which can overpower this dish.
- I like adding a combination of olive oil and butter as well as chicken broth to the mofongo to help make it moist and flavorful.
- I also add onions and cilantro to the garlic butter to elevate the flavors even more.
- For perfectly shaped mofongo, add the mofongo to a small bowl and press gently to form a solid shape.
Pro Tip: Add a bit of cooking spray to the bowl and use a knife to run around the edges of the bowl to help release the mofongo.
If you love garlic shrimp, check out my recipe for camarones al ajillo. They pair perfectly with this mofongo recipe!
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Puerto Rican Mofongo (Mashed Fried Plantains)
Equipo
- 1 Mortar and pestle
Ingredientes
- 3 green plantains peeled and cut into 1-inch slices
- 5 enteros garlic, crushed
- 1/4 onion, diced opcional
- 6 sprigs cilantro, chopped opcional
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp mantequilla 1/2 stick
- 1/4 taza broth
- 1 taza chicharrón crispy pork skin
- 1/2 taza El Bori chorizo, diced opcional
- sal to taste
- 3 tazas avocado oil, for frying other oil options: corn oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil.
Intrucciones
Cook the chorizo
- Dice the chorizo and set aside.
- Place a pan over medium heat and add the chorizo. Cook for about 5 minutes or until golden brown.
Make the garlic butter sauce
- Place a pan over medium heat. Add butter, olive oil, garlic, onions and cilantro. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
Fry the plantains
- Place a frying pan over medium heat. Add about 3 cups of oil. The oil should come to about 325℉-350℉.
- Peel the green plantains and cut them into 1-inch slices.
- Fry the plantains for about 10 minutes, flipping them a few times until golden brown on both sides. The plantains should fry low and slow to ensure they fully cook through, without burning.
- Place the cooked plantains on a paper towel-lined plate.
Mash the mofongo
- To a mortar and pestle (pilón), add the fried plantains, garlic butter sauce, broth, chicharrones and chorizo, (if using).
- Mash everything until well combined. Season with salt to taste.
- For perfectly shaped mofongo, add the mofongo to a small bowl and press gently to form a solid shape. Pro Tip: Add a bit of cooking spray to the bowl and use a knife to run around the edges of the bowl to help release the mofongo.
- Flip the bowl onto a plate and serve the mofongo with garlic shrimp or meat or choice. Enjoy! ¡Buen provecho!
Notas
Tips:
For perfectly shaped mofongo, add the mofongo to a small bowl and press gently to form a solid shape. Pro Tip: Add a bit of cooking spray to the bowl and use a knife to run around the edges of the bowl to help release the mofongo. I like to cook the garlic before adding it to the plantains. I feel it tastes much better that way and helps eliminate the strong taste of raw garlic, which can overpower this dish. I like adding a combination of olive oil and butter as well as chicken broth to the mofongo to help make it moist and flavorful. I also add onions and cilantro to the garlic butter to elevate the flavors.
Check out more Caribbean recipes!
Pastelón de Maduro (Plantain Lasagna)
Jamón con Piña (Pineapple Glazed Ham)
Ensalada de Coditos (Macaroni Salad)
Ensalada de Papa (Potato Salad)
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