Mofongo Fried Plantains Food

MOFONGO WITH GARLIC SAUCE

Steps:

• Boil the plantains. Peel the plantains and cut them into 1/4-inch thick coins. Place in a saucepan, cover them with cold water, add salt, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to simmer. Cook until a fork easily slides in and out when you poke a piece of plantain, about 10-15 minutes.
• Prep the flavorings. While the plantains simmer, peel and crush the garlic and place in a mixing bowl. Place the pork rinds in a large ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin or the bottom of a ramekin to make pork dust. Add to the mixing bowl.
• Sauté the plantains. When the plantains are tender, drain them and set aside. Place 4 teaspoons cooking fat in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, 2 minutes. Add the plantains and sauté, tossing occasionally with two wooden spoons, until they're yellow color deepens, but don't let them brown. When they're a darker, golden yellow, transfer them to the mixing bowl, along with any fat remaining in the pan.
• Mix the mofongo. With a potato masher or an electric mixer set on medium, gently mash the plantains and pork rinds together. You want some bumpy texture, rather than a smooth paste. Add about additional fat, 1 teaspoon at a time, to help the mofongo stick together; it shouldn't be dry. Taste and add more salt, if necessary. Using moistened hands, form into 3-inch balls or mound on a plate; serve warm.
• Place all the ingredients in a food processor and purée, or combine them in 1-pint Mason jar and whirl with a stick blender.

MOFONGO RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Fry the plantains for 5-8 minutes, or golden brown on all sides. Transfer the plantains to a plate lined with a paper towel to remove excess grease.
• Using a large pilón (mortar and pestle) mash the plantains, garlic, and pork cracklins together, until the plantains are broken down. You might have to do this in small batches.
• Pack a serving into a small bowl and turn it over onto a plate for serving. Remove the bowl.
• Serve with extra pork cracklings (chicharrón) and garlic mojo on the side.
• Crush together garlic cloves and salt with a pilón (mortar and pestle), until you obtain a smooth paste. Transfer into a medium bowl.
• Stir in fresh bitter orange juice, olive oil, cumin, oregano, and chopped cilantro.
• Add more salt to taste, if desired.

TRADITIONAL PUERTO RICAN MOFONGO (25 MINUTES!)

Steps:

• Start by heating your oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan over medium heat. While the oil is heating, prep the plantains by peeling and slicing them into 1 inch slices.
• Once the oil is hot, gently add in the plantain slices and fry until golden brown and cooked through (about 10 minutes), making sure to move them around in the oil occasionally so they cook evenly. Once they are cooked, remove from the oil and dry on a paper towel lined plate.
• In a large bowl or mortar and pestle add the garlic cloves and chicharrón and mash (using the back of a wooden spoon if you don't have a mortar and pestle). Add in the fried plantain slices and mash those in with the garlic and pork rinds.
• To serve, fill a small bowl with your mofongo and flip onto a plate, to get that perfect dome-like shape. Top with cilantro, lime juice and serve with chicken broth or camarones guisados (shrimp in red sauce).

HOW TO MAKE MOFONGO [RECIPE + VIDEO]

Steps:

• In a large saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Brown the beef being careful that it does not burn. Add the garlic and onion and stir. Pour in 4 cups of water, and add cilantro, cilantro ancho, and oregano.Boil for an hour over low heat, topping off the water every once in a while to maintain the same level.Season with salt to taste. Sieve and remove the solids.
• Heat oil in a small pot or saucepan over medium heat and fry the plantain slices till golden brown all over (3-5 mins). Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel.
• Using a pilón (large mortar and pestle) or potato masher, crush the garlic and salt together, add in plantains and mash, then add pork cracklings and mash and crush to combine with the plantains (You might have to divide the ingredients and do it in 6 batches to fit in your pilón). It will have a dense consistency and will more or less form a ball.
• Shape the mixture into 6 balls and place each in a small bowl.
• Place the balls into the serving plates, and garnish with the broth, that you'll use to pour over and moisten the mofongo balls.
• Wrap the plantains in aluminum foilBake plantains in a preheated oven at 400ºF [200ºC] for 35 minutes, or cook in an air fryer preheated to 350ºF [175ºC]
• In the meantime, in a pan heat olive oil over very low heat. Stir in garlic and sprinkle with salt.Cover and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and making sure the heat is low enough that the garlic does not burn or change to a dark color. Set aside.
• Remove the plantains from the oven and let them cool down for 5 minutes. Carefully peel them.
• Mash the plantains one by one in a mortar and pestle, adding to each plantain ¼ of the oil and garlic and ¼ of the pork cracklings while you mash and mix.Form each plantain mash into a dome, or scoop it into a bowl. Serve 4 servings of the broth - alongside each mofongo bowl - that you'll use to pour over and moisten the mofongo balls.

TRADITIONAL PLANTAIN MOFONGO RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Heat about 2 inches of oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or deep fryer to 350 F.
• While the oil is heating up, peel the plantains and cut into 1-inch rounds.
• Fry the plantains until golden and tender, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Remove cooked plantains from the pan or fryer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
• Put the garlic paste in a large bowl or mortar and add the fried plantains, in batches, if necessary. Mash thoroughly.
• Add the pork rinds. Continue to mash and mix until all of the ingredients are combined. Add salt to taste.
• Shape the mofongo into 4 balls and serve.
• Alternatively, you can make the mofongo into a half-dome shape using a small condiment bowl as a mold; push a portion of mofongo down to the bottom of the bowl.
• With the back of a spoon, smooth over and level off the mix.
• Then use the spoon to scrape around the bowl and remove the mash in a half-dome shape.

MOFONGO

Steps:

• First make tostones: Cut plantains in wedges. Fry until tender. Flaten with a "tostonera" or with a second cutting board. Fry for a second time, until light golden.
• Using a mortar, crush garlic cloves and add adobo.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the garlic/adobo paste, olive oil and chicharron or bacon.
• Mash the tostones, a few at a time (never use a food processor!).
• Add some of the garlic mixture.
• Mash tostones in separate bowls. This will allow the garlic mixture to spread evenly.
• If too dry, add more oil.
• Shape like small balls.
• Serve with pork meat, soups, seafood or solo.

MOFONGO (PUERTO RICAN PLANTAIN BALLS)

Steps:

• Peel plantains and cut into one-inch slices.
• In a large saucepan or deep fryer, heat oil to 350 degrees. Add plantain slices in two batches and fry for 7 minutes, turning once, until light golden but not browned. Drain on paper towels.
• In a large mortar or big bowl, crush garlic cloves with pestle or the back of a spoon and sprinkle with salt. Add olive oil to the mixture and keep pounding until it's well incorporated. Transfer to a small bowl.
• In the same mortar or bowl, crush half of the fried plantain slices with half of the pork rinds, 1/2 slice of cooked bacon, and half the garlic aioli and pound or smash together. Add up to 1/2 cup chicken stock as needed, to make it moist.
• Spoon the mixture and shape into two-inch balls. Repeat with remaining ingredients and keep in warm oven until ready to serve. Top with more crushed chicharrón, or cilantro if you wish.

MOFONGO

Steps:

• Heat canola oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Mash the garlic with the olive oil in a mortar and pestle. Combine garlic mixture with the pork rinds in a large bowl; set aside.
• Fry the plantain chunks until golden and crispy, but not brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer the fried plantains into the bowl with the garlic mixture. Toss to coat. Mash the coated plantains with the mortar and pestle until smooth. Season with salt. Roll the plantain mixture into two large balls or several small balls before serving.

MOFONGO

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saute pan or large, deep skillet over medium heat to 350 degrees F. Fry the plantains in 2 batches until golden brown on each side, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels. Set aside.
• Working in batches, crush the pork cracklings, garlic and salt in a wooden mortar and pestle (a pilon) or in a bowl with a wooden spoon. Add the plantains and mash together to incorporate. Mash in the margarine.
• Using your hands, shape the plantain mixture into 6 balls. Serve warm or hot.

MOFONGO

Steps:

• Prepare the guiso, if using: Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until simmering. Add sofrito, reduce heat to medium-low and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes until liquid is evaporated.
• Pour in tomato sauce, partially cover with a lid, and simmer over low for 7 to 10 minutes. Sauce will thicken and darken in color.
• While sauce simmers, prepare the mofongo: Pour vegetable oil into a medium saucepan until it reaches a 3-inch depth, then heat over medium-high.
• Meanwhile, crush garlic and 1 teaspoon salt in a pilón or large mortar and pestle until a wet paste forms.
• In a separate, small saucepan, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium until just simmering, about 5 minutes. Slowly pour this hot oil on top of the garlic, carefully stirring to incorporate. It'll sizzle, and the garlic may turn light green. Add lime juice to complete the mojo.
• Peel plantains by cutting off both ends, then make three lengthwise slices through the skin. Carefully pull up the peel and remove it, starting at one of the corners with the edge of your fingernail or the tip of your knife if tough, then cut the plantains into 1 1/2-inch rounds. (Be careful: Plantain skins will stain your hands and clothing.)
• Once the vegetable oil is simmering somewhere between 350 and 375 degrees - you can test by adding a small piece of plantain; it will sizzle when the oil is hot enough - add plantains in 2 or 3 batches, taking care not to crown the pot. Fry each batch for 6 to 9 minutes, stirring lightly a few times, until the plantains begin to brown. Be careful not to let them get too dark, or they'll be hard and dry. Use a slotted spoon or mesh strainer to transfer plantains to a towel-lined bowl.
• If you have a large enough pilón, add fried plantains and chicharrón, if using, until pilón is three-quarters full. Mash together, alternating pounding and grinding. Once mixture has condensed to about half its original size, add 1 heaping tablespoon of the prepared mojo (or to taste), and continue grinding and mashing until fully combined. The mixture will look like stuffing.
• If you don't have a pilón, combine plantains, chicharrón and mojo in a large wooden bowl. Using the bottom of a slender jar, such as an olive jar, mash together to incorporate, rotating the bowl after each mash. Pound, grind and mash until mofongo is blended.
• Form the mashed mixture into 4 individual mofongos, each roughly the size of a baseball, or press into the bottom of a small rice bowl, then turn each onto a plate or into a larger bowl.
• Serve immediately, garnished with extra chicharrón, lime wedges and cilantro, if you like. Spoon over guiso as desired.