Mangú (Dominican Mashed Plantains) – Tasty Caribbean Breakfast
Today I will show you how we make Mangú from scratch, a delicious Dominican Republic breakfast dish. It is accompanied by slow-fried tangy red onions, fried salami, crispy queso de freir cheese, and a fried egg.
If you love Dominican cuisine, make sure to go check out some of the other delicious recipes on the website. Asopao de Camarones and Dominican Kipes are some of my personal favorites. And, you can serve it with a refreshing Dominican Summer Drink.
What Is Mangú Dominicano?
Mangú can be considered the national breakfast of the Dominican Republic. This dish is essentially made from boiled and mashed plantains. Traditionally, they are served with some fried red onion.
However, the locals have created a variation of this dish called Los tres golpes, which translates to “the three hits.” Here you serve the Mangú with Dominican-style fried salami, fried cheese, and a fried egg. Serving these elements with red onions is optional.
You will find similar dishes in countries like Puerto Rico and Cuba. They are essentially the same but go by different names.
What Do You Need To Make Mangú?
All you need to make this Dominican Republic Mangú recipe are unripe plantains. These are usually bright green in color and rock-hard. The reason I use unripe plantains is that they are less sweet.
This breakfast food is paired with savory accompaniments. So an overly sweet flavor will just clash.
If you cannot find unripe green plantains, you can use ripe ones too. Other substitutes for plantains include green bananas (use about 6-8) or squash.
The version with squash is mazamorra.
How Do You Make Mangú?
To start, you first need to boil the plantains. You can boil them with or without their peel. I peel them beforehand. It’s just less messy this way than peeling them when they are soft and soggy.
Boiling them takes about 30-40 minutes. You need the plantains to be super soft and not the least bit tender.
Once they are boiled, you can start mashing them immediately. Unfortunately, there isn’t any tool like a Mangú-masher. But, you can use a potato masher or fork instead.
As you mash the plantains, add some room-temperature water to help create a completely smooth and virtually lump-free mash. Some lumps are okay if you don’t mind them.
Tips And Tricks For Making A Traditional Dominican-Style Breakfast
- If you cannot find Queso de Freir cheese, you can also use Queso Blanco or halloumi. A vegan alternative is tofu.
- Many people don’t like the seeds in the center of plantains. I don’t mind them at all, but feel free to remove them if you want to.
- When coating the cheese pieces, make sure they’re dry. You can pat them down with some paper towel if you need to.
- You can fry the eggs to your liking. If you aren’t sure how to fry eggs, take a look at this tutorial.
FAQs
Is Mangú a fufu?
Mangú is a type of fufu. But, it’s from a different region which is why the name is different. In the Dominican Republic, we make “fufu” with plantains and call it Mangú. In Puerto Rico, they make it with plantains and crispy pork skin and call it Mofongo.
How long to boil plantains for mangu
You need to boil the plantains for 30-40 minutes. You want them to be very soft and not at all firm.
HOW DO YOU SERVE MANGÚ?
Serve Mangú with some sautéed onions, fried salami, fried cheese, and a fried egg on top. Add some hot sauce on the side if you want it to be spicy.
Can I freeze Mangú?
Mangú can be frozen and it actually holds up really well. Just place it inside an airtight container. Wrap the container with aluminum foil and freeze it for up to 6 months.
To thaw, leave it inside the fridge to slowly defrost. Once it is soft again, you can reheat it and adjust the consistency to your liking.
What Does Mangú Taste Like?
Mangú has a very unique taste. It’s almost like regular mashed bananas but less sweet. It also has a more earthy flavor and generally is more savory. Remember, I use unripe plantains which are less sweet than ripe ones (and even unripe bananas). You don’t add many seasonings to Mangú, making it very fresh.
More Delicious Recipes
Mangú – A Tasty Traditional Dominican Breakfast In Under 1 Hour
Ingredients
For the Mangú
- 5 unripe green plantains
- 4 tbsp salted butter
For the red onion garnish
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium red onions, sliced
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- Sea salt flakes, to taste
For the garnishes
- Salami slices of your choice
- 1 pound queso de freir cheese
- Cake flour (optional)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 large eggs
Instructions
Make the Mangú
- To start, peel the plantains. Slice off the tips on both ends of each plantain. Then, cut each plantain in half lengthwise. Remove the peels from all the halves.
- Bring a pot of water with a dash of salt to a rolling boil. Then, add the plantain halves. Cook them until they are extremely soft and tender. This will take between 30-40 minutes.
- Remove the cooked plantains from the water and place them into a mixing bowl.
- Use a potato masher or fork to immediately start mashing them. Continue doing so until you have few to no lumps in the mixture. As you mash the plantains, add some room-temperature water or even some water you used to boil the plantain, it will help make the mash as smooth and lump-free as possible.
- Finally, whisk in the salted butter until it has completely melted in. You can also add the butter while you are mashing the plantain to help smooth the prosses.
Make the fried red onions
- In a small bowl add the sliced red onion, vinegar, and salt and let it set for 15 minutes while the plantain is cooking.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced soaked red onions and fry them until they become translucent.
- If the onions start to brown, lower the heat. Keep stirring them so they don't burn.
- Once they have become completely translucent, Set them aside for later.
Fry the salami, cheese, and eggs
- First, coat the queso de freir in flour. Shake off any excess flour.
- Then, heat some olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Once heated, add the cheese and salami pieces. You can add them in one pan if the pan is big enough. Otherwise, fry them separately.
- Continue frying them until they become brown and slightly crispy. This can take between 3-5 minutes.
- Once fried, remove them from the pan and set them aside to drain on paper towel.
- Next, add the eggs and fry them to your liking.
Assemble and serve your Dominican Mangú
- To start, make sure all of your elements are still warm.
- Place the Mangú in the center of your plate. Add some fried pickled red onions, fried salami, fried cheese, and a fried egg.
- This breakfast is best served immediately. But the Mangú can be stored for later use. Just reheat it and adjust the consistency again.
