On today’s episode we head into the kitchen with some essential Caribbean ingredients to make one of Puerto Rico’s signature dishes. Mofongo is a comforting plate of fried green plantains, pork cracklins, and garlic all mashed together and served with a sauce or soup. It’s an easy dish that can be put together for a weeknight meal or incorporated into your next Caribbean-inspired feast. Listen to the episode for the complete live cook-through, then check out the recipe below.
Mentioned in this Episode
One of Puerto Rico’s famous dishes, mofongo is a great comfort food with influences tracing back to African fufu. In fact, “mofongo” and “fufu” are sometimes used to describe the same dish in the Caribbean region.
To make an authentic mofongo you might want to invest in a pilón. Of course you can use any large mortar and pestle, or even a sturdy bowl and potato masher. You can find pilóns online of course, but your local kitchen good store might have them too!
Mofongo ingredients: green plantains, chicharron, and garlic. 
Plantains fried to a golden hue. 
Mofongo in bowl served with broth. 
A pilon, or mortar and pestle.
Mofongo Recipe
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Mofongo
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This comforting dish from Puerto Rico features fried green plantains, chicharrons, and roasted garlic mashed together.
Ingredients
- Oil for frying plantains
- 4 green plantains, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices.
- 2 cloves of garlic, roasted
- 8 ounces chicharrones or pork cracklins roughly chopped (you can substitute crispy bacon if desired)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium heat to approximately 350 degrees F. Fry the plantains in batches until golden in color, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from oil and drain on a dish lined with paper towels.
- In a mortar and pestle or pilón, combine the fried plantains, chicharrones, and garlic, and mash together until well combined. Your mofongo will be somewhat “chunky.” Taste and add salt if needed.
- Using a small bowl as a mold (or shaping with your hands), shape the mofongo into balls. Serve in bowls with a broth, soup, or sauce of your choice.
Notes
You can use a sturdy dish and potato masher to make the mofongo if you don’t have a mortar and pestle.
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I’m always excited to make new dishes. But unfortunately, where I live plantains and chicharron are hard to come by.
★★★