Mofongo

[deladane]

Everyone keeps saying how wonderful the mofongo is in Puerto Rico, but can anyone describe what it tastes like? I know it is made with mashed plantains... does it taste like bananas?? I have also read reviews that mention it tastes really good with a garlic sauce on top. Is the garlic sauce spicy? I'm not a fan of bananas or spicy foods, so I just want to make sure of what mofongo tastes like before I order it! Thanks! :)

[Ms411]

It does not taste like bananas and it's not spicy. The closest that I can think of that it's similar to is a tamale. I've only had it with creole sauce, but you have to ask about the sauce when you order it.

[Jmejia15]

If you've never had plantains it's hard to describe. Doesn't taste like bananas though lol You can buy green plantains at the supermarket boil and mash them with a little olive oil to get you a sneak peak of what it would taste like. I'm dominican and my wife is Puerto Rican so we eat plantains regularly

[Ms411]

They put more than olive oil in mofongo, but if you Google for a recipe you'll get an idea. I had it twice without the sauce, and didn't like it. The creole sauce made the dish very tasty! We all liked it. We had it stuffed with pork.

[damarism__]

Yeah, mofongo is mashed fried plantains with: garlic, olive oil, and pieces of pig skin and/or pig lard and you can put chunks of whatever meat you prefer in it.

 

What JMejia15 what referring to is called Mangu which is more of a Dominican dish typically eaten with fried salami and fried cheese. (Also delicious)

[EatonDoolittle]

I was with friends at Barranchina and one had the Mofongo there, she is an expert, and raved about it.

 

I was busy drinking Pina Coladas, as they claim to have invented them there. Who knows if its true, but always great food, drink, and service.

[alfaeric]

Big fan of Mofongo, and a bugger fan of Tostones- which are twice fried and pressed chunks of plantains.

 

It's REALLY hard to describe what fried plantain tastes like, but what I will suggest is to find a bag of plantain chips- and make sure they are the green ones, not the dark ones. The dark ones are sweet.

 

Anyway, since I'm sure you can relate potato chips to potatoes, that's the same basic relationship between plantain chips and the base of Mofongo. From that basic change, some have a lot more garlic. But can be topped with pork, fish, or chicken- and with a variety of sauces.

 

For sure, worth trying once- some will love it more than you can imagine, others won't like it.

 

If you are not sure about getting mofongo itself, then get a side of tostones, and the you can make the decision if you want to try mofongo.

 

(FWIW, tostones are from green plantains, maduros are from ripe plantain, and are sweet and soft. Plus, plantains are used just like potatoes and many other root veggies)

 

edit- my wife suggests trying it at Raices since they the most traditional versions of it.

Edited September 1, 2014 by alfaeric

[LincolnLog]

You can get plantain chips at Trader Joe's. They're really good. To me they taste similar to potato chips. Not like Lay's or anything like that but more potato-ey, if that's even possible for something that's not made from potatoes!

[deladane]

Thanks everyone! This has been very helpful :) I think I will probably try it when I'm in Puerto Rico, just wanted to have a better idea of what it tastes like before I commit haha

[carhopsrock]

My son made it his personal mission to try mofongo everywhere we dined our last trip to P.R. His favorite is still at Orozco's in Condado. He ate there every day for lunch or dinner. One thing you have to consider is that the sauce will taste different according to who is making it. I have tried many times to duplicate their flavor but cant quite get it right.

[Guest maddycat]

I love the mofongo with shrimp and a creamy white garlic sauce. I have to have it every time we stop in San Juan.

 

We usually go to Punto De Vista Restaurant across from where the ship docks. It's a little dive bar/restaurant with good food, great service and excellent 2 for 1 mojitos. I love the coconut mojitos. We sit outside and people watch while enjoying our meal.

 

http://www.yelp.com/biz/punto-de-vista-restaurant-san-juan

Edited September 15, 2014 by maddycat

[AAAAmerican]

 

Hi,

 

How far a walk and how do we get to Vacca Brava on Calle Recinto Sur #233 in OSJ? I heard it has great Steaks and Mofongo too.

 

From the Casino near the ship and ferry docks?:cool:

Edited September 16, 2014 by AAAAmerican

[iuki]

If you've never had plantains it's hard to describe. Doesn't taste like bananas though lol You can buy green plantains at the supermarket boil and mash them with a little olive oil to get you a sneak peak of what it would taste like. I'm dominican and my wife is Puerto Rican so we eat plantains regularly

 

How similar is it to pasteles? I make pasteles and arroz con gandules.

[LadySam1968]

I am so looking forward to having Puerto Rican food including tostones and mofongo. I haven't had good, authentic Puerto Rican food since my grandma passed. 140 days till we sail and the a stop in old San Juan.

 

 

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