← Nouns Cooking · Caribbean

Ingredients

• 4 green (unripe) plantains, peeled and cut into 4 pieces each
• 1½ tsp Salt, divided
• 4 tbsp Olive oil, divided
• 2 Red onion, sliced into thin rings
• 3 tbsp white or apple cider vinegar
• 250 ml cold water, for mashing
• 4 fried eggs, to serve (optional)
• 200 g queso de freír or halloumi, sliced and fried, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Put the plantains in a pot, cover with water by 5 cm and add 1 tsp salt. Boil for 15–20 min, until a knife slides in easily.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the onions with a pinch of salt for 4 min, until just softened. Add the vinegar and cook for 1 minute more, then take off the heat.
3. Drain the plantains and mash them straight away with the remaining oil and the rest of the salt, adding the cold water a splash at a time and mashing hard until very smooth and creamy.
4. Pile into bowls and top with the onions and their juices. Serve with fried eggs and fried cheese for "los tres golpes", adding fried salami if you like.

Tips

• Cold water is the secret to the silkiest mangú; mash while the plantains are still hot.
• Butter instead of oil is common; the optional eggs and cheese make it vegetarian rather than vegan.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Taste the Islands 196 flavors Jamaicans.com