Fort Belvoir, Va. –
Editor’s note: This is one of several articles celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. We asked people to share recipes with Hispanic heritage roots and short stories about their lives.
My name is David Rodriguez from the Hispanic Puerto Rican ethnicity Community. I have been part of DCAA team for 25 years. I was born in the Bronx, New York, the second largest Puerto Rican community in the mainland United States (18% of the total 5.6 million), but I grew up in Puerto Rico. I recently returned to New York City and have made the city my official home. Deciding on my favorite Puerto Rican dish is a difficult task and I normally respond with, “it is impossible to selected one.” Then I explain that each dish and drink have a unique taste, and each are their own original cuisines with unique histories.
For example:
- "Mofongo" is cuisine created by our West African Yoruba people ancestry and full of flavor and composite of fried garlicky mash made with fried plantains
- “Pastelon” with a delicious dish with Caribbean flavor with sweet banana, meat, and cheese that was created from our Puerto Rican community in New York city when they interrelated with Italian American community and make a Caribbean version of the Lasagna
- “Coquito” (little coconut) is tasty coconut drink with rum and spice, made to boost the flavors of vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg to celebrate the Christmas holidays (It is our improved version of eggnog)
- “Arroz con Dulce” (Coconut rice pudding) is seasoned with spices such as ginger, cloves, and cinnamon, the flavor is like no other rice pudding you’ve tasted
- "Piña Colada" is a cocktail made with rum, cream of coconut, and pineapple juice that is perfect for celebration or relaxing moment of life.
Each Puerto Rican dishes or drinks was elaborated to express and maintain our ancestry delicious food alive and reinform of mixed-race soul for generation. As our Hispanic heritage still alive and merge with new culture and ethnic community to reinform diversity and integration as part of this nation.
MOFONGO
This fried garlicky mash made with fried plantains is comfort food at its finest. Eat it as a side or top it with a protein like fresh lobster in a garlic white wine sauce. It’s even more delicious than it sounds!
The origins of mofongo can be traced back to fufu – a dish made of boiled, mashed yams that was prepared by the West African Yoruba people.
These ethnic groups that populated Puerto Rico used the technique of a mallet to mash large amounts of starchy foods. The mash was then softened with liquids and fats. The word “mofongo” stems from the Angolan Kikongo term mfwenge-mfwenge, which means “a great amount of nothing at all.” To us, it’s a great amount of deliciousness.
In contemporary Puerto Rico, mofongo can be made from yuca, breadfruit and other tubers, but the classic recipe is made with fried green plantains and softened with stock, butter or oil. It has become a quintessential dish in Puerto Rican cuisine, one that you must try when on the Island
Ingredients
- 8-10 pieces 1” sliced Green Plantains, fried
- 1 tsp. Garlic, minced
- 2 oz. Chicken Stock
- 1 tbsp. Butter or Oil (Additional Oil for Frying)
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
- Chopped Cilantro For Garnish
- “Chicharrones” (crispy pork skin)
Instructions
- Deep fry the 1” slices of plantains until they are golden on the outside and tender on the inside (about 5-8 minutes). Don’t crowd the pan – do separate batches if necessary. Remove plantains from oil.
- Add the fried plantains into a “Pilón” (a mortar and pestle) along with “Chicharrones” (crispy pork skin), the garlic, stock, butter and seasoning.
- Mash all the ingredients until smooth in texture and fully incorporated. (If the mofongo feels too tough, add more stock!)
It is served alongside beef broth. Traditionally, mofongo is served in a pilón, a wooden mortar (the bowl-like part of the mortar and pestle).
Notes
- To peel a plantain, cut both ends and make 2-3 scores on the skin lengthwise. With your fingers or carefully using a butter knife, peel the skin off the plantain. Once all the skin is removed, you are ready to cut the plantain in 1” slices (the width depends on how thin/crispy you want the end product; the thinner the slice, the crispier the result).
- Mashing plantains: I would not advise making it in a food processor, as the plantain slices would not retain the texture we expect in mofongo. Typically, we mash the plantains with a mortar and pestle, which is a bit labor-intensive but guarantees the best result. You can also use a potato masher or the bottom of a metal cup.
- If making stuffed mofongo, create a dome with a center “pocket” to add the protein of your choosing (ex. chicken, steak, pork, seafood, etc.). Top it with a garlic sauce or a “criolla” sauce (tomato sauce).
- You could also make mofongo balls and serve them as sides.