Tigrillo

Ingredients

Plantain

• 4green plantains, verdes

To fry

• 4 tbspoil, or lard
• or butter

The rest

• 4eggs
• 200 gqueso fresco, crumbled
• 1onion, finely chopped
• 1spring onion
• 2 clovesgarlic
• 1tomato, chopped, optional
• 1 tspachiote, optional
• salt and pepper

To finish

• chopped coriander
• extra crumbled cheese

To serve

• black coffee
• a fried egg on top
• chorizo or fried pork, optional

Directions

1. Use green plantains, verdes, which are starchy and firm rather than sweet. A ripe yellow plantain is a completely different ingredient: it is sweet, soft and it will turn to a sugary mush.
2. Cut the ends off, score the skin lengthways in three or four places, and prise it off in strips with your thumb or a knife. Rub your hands with oil first if you can, since the sap stains hands and clothes darkly and it is difficult to remove. Cut the peeled plantains into thick chunks. Either boil them in salted water for 20 minutes until tender, or fry them in oil until golden and soft.
3. Mash them roughly with a wooden spoon or a pestle, leaving plenty of texture. Do not mash them smooth. Work quickly while they are hot, since cold plantain goes hard and refuses to mash. Fry the onion, spring onion and garlic in the oil until soft.
4. Add the achiote if using, which gives the warm orange colour common in Ecuadorean cooking. Add the tomato if you are including it and cook it down briefly.
5. Press it down and let it catch slightly on the base before turning it. Beat the eggs lightly and pour them over the plantain. Add the eggs to the hot pan and keep it moving, so they cook into the plantain in soft curds rather than forming a layer underneath.
6. Take it off the heat while the eggs still look slightly underdone, since they carry on cooking. Crumble in the queso fresco and fold it through the residual heat. Add the cheese off the heat so it softens into pockets rather than melting away entirely into the mixture. Queso fresco is mild, salty and crumbly, and it should stay in recognisable pieces.
7. Season with salt and pepper, tasting first since the cheese is salty. Scatter coriander and extra cheese over. Serve it immediately, hot, in a bowl or on a plate.

Technique

• Green plantains are essential and ripe ones give a completely different dish.
• Bolón de verde is the closely related ball shaped from the same mixture.
• It is breakfast food above all and is rarely eaten later in the day.

Substitutions

• Feta or a mild firm white cheese in place of queso fresco.
• Butter in place of oil, which is richer.

Variations

• With chicharrón, crisp pork, mixed through.
• Topped with a fried egg.
• Made without egg, as majado.

History

Breakfast of mashed green plantain scrambled with egg and cheese, from Loja and the Zamora valleys.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tigrillo?

Tigrillo is a breakfast from Ecuador: scrambled mashed green plantain with egg and cheese. Breakfast of mashed green plantain scrambled with egg and cheese, from Loja and the Zamora valleys.

How long does Tigrillo take to make?

Tigrillo takes 15 min of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Tigrillo?

Yes, within limits. Feta or a mild firm white cheese in place of queso fresco. Butter in place of oil, which is richer.

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

Use green plantains, verdes, which are starchy and firm rather than sweet. A ripe yellow plantain is a completely different ingredient: it is sweet, soft and it will turn to a sugary mush.