Name: Mangú (Dominican Mashed Plantains)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 green plantains; 1/2 tbsp salt (for boiling water); 2 tbsp butter; 1 red onion (thinly sliced ); 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 tbsp white vinegar; salt (to taste)

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Mangú or Dominican mashed plantains is a staple in Caribbean cuisine. It is typically served with los tres golpes (the three hits) which are fried eggs, fried salami and fried cheese. Mashed green plantain is a popular side dish in the Caribbean and is known by many different names such as mofongo in Puerto Rico, fufu in Cuba and bami in Jamaica.

If you love side dishes like I do, check these out: guineos en escabeche, ensalada de papa, yuca majada, and yuca con mojo.

What’s the difference between mofongo and mangú?

Mangú and mofongo are both made from mashed green plantains but mangú is made from boiled plantains and mofongo is made from fried plantains. Also, mangú is smooth and creamy while mofongo is crispy and dense.

Mangú is a breakfast dish topped with pickled red onions and served with fried eggs, fried salami and fried cheese. Mofongo can be a side dish or main entree served with chicharrones or camarones al ajillo (garlic shrimp).

Mangú ingredients:

Green plantains
Butter
Red onion
White Vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt

*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 mangú:

First, thinly slice the red onion. Place the sliced onions in a bowl and add the vinegar and salt, to taste. Set aside. Fill a large pot with water and place it over high heat. Add 1/2 tbsp of salt.

Peel and cook green plantains

Next, prepare the plantains. Start by cutting off both ends of the green plantains and slicing a slit lengthwise down the center. Carefully separate the peel by pulling it away from the flesh. Cut each plantain into 4 pieces.

Once the water comes to a boil, add the plantains and cook for about 15 minutes until fork tender.

Cook the onions

Add oil to a small saucepan over low heat. Add the onions and vinegar while the oil is still cool to avoid splattering. Cook for a few minutes until the onions turn bright pink but still have some crunch to them. Set aside.

Mash the plantains

Once cooked, remove the plantains from the boiling water and place them in a large bowl. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the boiling water.

While the plantains are still hot, add some butter, some of the pickled onion juice, and a splash of the reserved water and begin mashing the plantains. Repeat the steps until everything is nice and smooth.

Taste the mangú and add salt, if necessary. Top with pickled onions and serve with fried eggs, fried salami and fried cheese. Enjoy! ¡Buen provecho!

Tips for making mangú:

Make sure to use green plantains. Once the plantains start to get dark spots, they start to taste sweet.
Reserve some of the water from boiling the plantains. This helps make the mash smooth.
Add some of the vinegar from the cooked onions to the mangú while mashing. This adds tons of flavor.
Although you can use a fork or potato masher, an electric hand mixer will yield the smoothest mangú.
Adding cold water while mashing the plantains is a trick that prevents the mangú from getting hard and keeps it soft even after it cools down.
Make the mangú a bit thinner than you’d like. As it cools, it will continue to thicken.

What to serve with mangú?

Mangú is best enjoyed with fried eggs, fried salami and fried cheese. You can also serve with longaniza (sausage) and avocado. Mangú is also delicious served alongside yuca or guineos.

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Mangú (Dominican Mashed Plantains)

Mangú or Dominican mashed plantains is a staple in Caribbean cuisine. It is typically served with los tres golpes (the three hits) which are fried eggs, fried salami and fried cheese.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

Mangú

2 green plantains
1/2 tbsp salt for boiling water
2 tbsp butter

Pickled onions

1 red onion thinly sliced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp white vinegar
salt to taste

Instructions

Thinly slice the red onion. Place the sliced onions in a bowl and add the vinegar and salt, to taste. Set aside.
Fill a large pot with water and place it over high heat. Add 1/2 tbsp of salt.

Peel and cook green plantains

Start by cutting off both ends of the green plantains and slicing a slit lengthwise down the center.
Carefully separate the peel by pulling it away from the flesh.
Cut each plantain into 4 pieces.
Once the water comes to a boil, add the plantains and cook for about 15 minutes until fork tender.

Cook the onions

Add oil to a small saucepan over low heat. Add the onions and vinegar while the oil is still cool to avoid splattering. Cook for a few minutes until the onions turn bright pink but still have some crunch to them. Set aside.

Mash the plantains

Once cooked, remove the plantains from the boiling water and place them in a large bowl. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the boiling water. (You could add cold water instead.)
While the plantains are still hot, add some butter, some of the pickled onion juice, and a splash of the reserved water and begin mashing the plantains. Repeat the steps until everything is nice and smooth.
Taste the mangú and add salt, if necessary.
Top with pickled onions and serve with fried eggs, fried salami and fried cheese. Enjoy! ¡Buen provecho!