← Nouns Cooking · Caribbean

Ingredients

• 4 green (unripe) plantains, peeled and cut into 2.5 cm pieces
• 200 g pork belly (or 100 g ready-made chicharrón), cut into small cubes
• 4 cloves Garlic
• ½ tsp Salt
• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 500 ml neutral oil, for frying
• 250 ml hot chicken stock, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Put the pork belly in a cold frying pan over medium heat and cook for 12–15 min, stirring now and then, until the fat has rendered and the cubes are crisp. Drain on paper towels.
2. Heat the frying oil in a deep pan to 160°C (325°F). Fry the plantain pieces in batches for 8–10 min, turning, until golden and soft all the way through but not dark. Drain.
3. Meanwhile, pound the garlic with the salt in a mortar (a pilón) until it is a paste, then stir in the olive oil.
4. Working in two or three batches while the plantains are hot, pound them in the mortar with a share of the garlic oil and the crackling until mashed but still a little chunky.
5. Press each batch into a small bowl to make a dome and turn it out onto a plate. Pour a little hot stock around each mofongo, if you like, and serve straight away.

Tips

• Mofongo stiffens as it cools, so mash it while the plantains are hot.
• No mortar? Use a potato masher in a sturdy bowl. Spoon over shrimp in garlic sauce or stewed chicken for a fuller plate.

Sources

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

196 flavors Kitchen Gidget