Mangu is a regular in my kitchen, and I’m not talking about just for breakfast! It’s versatile, going beyond the traditional Dominican breakfast los tres golpes, I love making it for a quick dinner or lunch.
I love mangu with camarones guisados or some carne frita. This is not to be mistaken with mofongo though, a plantain dish that’s prepared completely different.
Fun fact: Mangu originated in Congo. Very grateful to our African ancestors for this delicious recipe!
Which plantains do you use for mangu
You will need very green, unripe plantains to make a good mangu! They need to be super firm with minimal to no black spots because these are the ones with the most starch.
Step by step instructions
- Peel the plantains by trimming off both ends and making a shallow slit lengthwise through the skin. Remove the peel then cut each plantain in half and cut each half lengthwise, creating 4 pieces per plantain.
- Place the plantains in a pot and add enough water to cover them by about 1 inch. Season the water with a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until the plantains are fork tender, about 25–30 minutes.
- While the plantains cook, place the sliced red onion in a bowl and pour the vinegar over it. Let sit until ready to use.
- Drain the cooked plantains, reserving ½ cup of the cooking water.
- Transfer the plantains to a large bowl. Add the butter and ¼ cup of the reserved cooking water. Mash until mostly smooth. Add the ice or cold water and continue mashing until creamy. If needed, add more reserved cooking water a little at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the onion vinegar and the ½ teaspoon salt to the mangu. Mash and mix until well combined.
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and remaining vinegar, and cook for 3–5 minutes, or until the onions are softened and lightly pink.
- Serve the mangu topped with the onions and with avocado slices. Buen provecho!
Mash some onions in to make mangu encebollado
My favorite way to dress up mangu is to make cebolla encebolla and mash it right into the plantains. It essentially becomes a mangu enebollado and you’ll have a little bit of that pickled onion in every bite!
Dominican Mangu (Mashed Plantains)
Ingredients
Mangu
- 2 green plantains
- Water for boiling
- Salt for boiling
- 2 tbsp butter
- ¼-½ cup cooking water
- ½ cup ice or cold water
- ½ tsp salt
Sauteed Onions
- 1 red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp oil
For serving
- Avocado slices
Instructions
- Peel the plantains by trimming off both ends and making a shallow slit lengthwise through the skin. Remove the peel then cut each plantain in half and cut each half lengthwise, creating 4 pieces per plantain.
- Place the plantains in a pot and add enough water to cover them by about 1 inch. Season the water with a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until the plantains are fork tender, about 25–30 minutes.
- While the plantains cook, place the sliced red onion in a bowl and pour the vinegar over it. Let sit until ready to use.
- Drain the cooked plantains, reserving ½ cup of the cooking water.
- Transfer the plantains to a large bowl. Add the butter and ¼ cup of the reserved cooking water. Mash until mostly smooth. Add the ice or cold water and continue mashing until creamy. If needed, add more reserved cooking water a little at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the onion vinegar and the ½ teaspoon salt to the mangu. Mash and mix until well combined.
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and remaining vinegar, and cook for 3–5 minutes, or until the onions are softened and lightly pink.
- Serve the mangu topped with the onions and with avocado slices. Buen provecho!
