Mangú

Ingredients

Mangu

• 4green plantains, peeled and cut into 4 cm chunks
• 1.5 Lwater
• 1 tbspsalt
• 60 gbutter
• 150 mlcold water, for loosening

Cebolla curtida (pickled onion)

• 2red onions, sliced into thin rings
• 4 tbspwhite vinegar
• 2 tbspoil
• half tsp salt

Los tres golpes

• 300 gqueso de freir (Dominican frying cheese), in 1 cm slabs
• 300 gDominican salami, in 1 cm rounds
• 4eggs
• oil, for frying

Directions

1. Peel the green plantains by scoring the skin lengthways in three places and levering it off with your thumb; the skin will not come away like a banana’s.
2. Boil the chunks in well-salted water for 20–25 minutes until a knife slides in with no resistance. Undercooked plantain will never mash smooth.
3. While they boil, cook the onion rings in oil and vinegar with the salt over low heat for 5 minutes, until they lose their raw bite but keep some crunch. Set aside off the heat.
4. Fry the salami rounds in a dry pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes a side until the edges curl and blacken slightly, then the cheese slabs for 1–2 minutes a side until a crust forms and the middle softens. Fry the eggs last, in the same pan.
5. Drain the plantains, reserving a mugful of the cooking water, and put them into a bowl or the pot while still steaming hot. They must be mashed hot; cooled plantain seizes into a rubbery lump.
6. Mash with a wooden pestle or the back of a heavy spoon, working in the butter and enough hot cooking water to make a thick, smooth puree with no lumps left.
7. Beat in a splash of the cold water at the very end. This is the household trick that keeps mangu soft and silky rather than stiffening as it sits.
8. Mound the mangu on plates, top with the pickled onion and its vinegar, and lay the fried cheese, fried salami and fried egg alongside. Eat immediately, while everything is hot.

Technique

• Mangu is breakfast, and with the three fried toppings it is called mangu con los tres golpes, the three hits.
• Hot water goes in to make it smooth; a final splash of cold water keeps it from setting hard. Skip either and the texture is wrong.
• Use green plantains only. Any yellowing means sugar has developed and the mash turns sweet and sticky.

Substitutions

• No queso de freir: halloumi behaves the same way in the pan. Any firm, salty salami will stand in for the Dominican one, which is a soft, pink, all-beef and pork sausage.

Variations

• Mangu with mashed yuca or auyama mixed in, common in the countryside.
• Served plain with just the pickled onion as a side to stewed meat at dinner.

History

Mashed boiled green plantain with pickled onion; the technique descends from West African fufu and it anchors the Dominican breakfast.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mangú?

Mangú is a breakfast from Dominican Republic: mashed green plantains with pickled onion, fried cheese, salami, egg. Mashed boiled green plantain with pickled onion; the technique descends from West African fufu and it anchors the Dominican breakfast.

How long does Mangú take to make?

Mangú takes 20 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Mangú?

Yes, within limits. No queso de freir: halloumi behaves the same way in the pan. Any firm, salty salami will stand in for the Dominican one, which is a soft, pink, all-beef and pork sausage.

What is the most important thing to get right in Mangú?

Boil the chunks in well-salted water for 20–25 minutes until a knife slides in with no resistance. Undercooked plantain will never mash smooth.