Ingredients
Plantains
- 8green plantains
- water, for boiling
- salt
Coconut fish soup
- 1 kgfirm white fish, in large pieces
- juice of 2 limes
- 800 mlthick coconut milk
- 400 mlwater or fish stock
- 2onions, sliced
- 6garlic cloves, crushed
- 1red pepper, sliced
- 2tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tbspachiote paste
- 1 tspground cumin
- 1 tspdried oregano
- 1whole habanero, unbroken
- a handful of culantro or coriander
- 3 tbspcoconut oil
- salt and black pepper
Equipment
- a hana, the wooden mortar, or a large sturdy bowl and a heavy pestle
Directions
- Cut the ends off each plantain. Score the skin lengthways in three or four places, cutting only the skin. Oil your hands first, since the sap stains badly and is hard to wash off. Cut the peeled plantains into thick chunks. Put the chunks in a pot and cover them with salted water.
- Bring it to the boil and cook them for about twenty-five minutes. They should be completely soft when tested with a knife. Drain them and keep a cup of the cooking water. Now pounding them, which must be done while hot. Put a few chunks at a time in the mortar. Pound them steadily with the heavy pestle. Add more chunks as the first ones break down. Work it until you have a smooth cohesive mass.
- Add a splash of the hot cooking water if it is too stiff. It must stay hot throughout, since cold plantain goes hard and refuses to combine. Work in batches and keep the finished mash covered and warm. Wet your hands and form the mash into rounds or balls.
- Set them on a warm plate and cover them. Cut the fish into large pieces, since small ones fall apart. Squeeze the lime juice over it and season it with salt. Let it sit for fifteen minutes.
- Heat the coconut oil in a wide heavy pot over a medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook them for eight minutes until soft. Add the garlic and the red pepper and cook for three minutes. Stir in the achiote paste and let it colour the oil. Add the chopped tomatoes, cumin and oregano.
- Cook it down for five minutes. Now the coconut milk, which needs gentle heat. Pour in the coconut milk and the water. Bring it to a bare simmer and never let it boil. Add the whole habanero without piercing it. Simmer it gently for fifteen minutes. Season it with salt and pepper. Do not stir the pot, since the fish will break up. Spoon the liquid over the pieces instead.
- Simmer them for eight to ten minutes. The fish is done when it flakes at the thickest part. Remove the habanero before serving. Stir in the chopped culantro or coriander off the heat. Taste it and adjust the salt at the end. Now serving, which is done in deep bowls. Put a round of pounded plantain in each bowl. Ladle the soup and a piece of fish over it.
Technique
- The plantains must be fully green, since ripening ones turn to sticky mush.
- Pound them while hot, as cold plantain goes hard and refuses to combine.
- Never let the coconut milk boil, since it splits into oil and curds.
Substitutions
- A large sturdy bowl and a heavy pestle in place of a hana mortar.
- Any firm white fish, and prawns or crab are also used.
Variations
- With crab or conch in the soup.
- Served with a fried fish rather than a soup.
- Hudut, the closely related Belizean version.
History
Garifuna mashed green plantain pounded in a wooden mortar and served with coconut fish soup, a dish shared with Belize and Guatemala’s coast.
Frequently asked questions
What is Machuca?
Machuca is a main from Honduras: garifuna mashed plantains with coconut fish soup. Garifuna mashed green plantain pounded in a wooden mortar and served with coconut fish soup, a dish shared with Belize and Guatemala’s coast.
How long does Machuca take to make?
Machuca takes 40 min of preparation and 50 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Machuca?
Yes, within limits. A large sturdy bowl and a heavy pestle in place of a hana mortar. Any firm white fish, and prawns or crab are also used.
What is the most important thing to get right in Machuca?
Bring it to the boil and cook them for about twenty-five minutes. They should be completely soft when tested with a knife. Drain them and keep a cup of the cooking water. Now pounding them, which must be done while hot. Put a few chunks at a time in the mortar. Pound them steadily with the heavy pestle. Add more chunks as the first ones break down. Work it until you have a smooth cohesive mass.
