
Aunt Clara’s Dominican Cookbook concedes that mofongo (garlic-flavored mashed plantains), a dish with a special place in the hearts and stomachs of Dominicans, actually originates in the neighboring island of Puerto Rico.
Not surprisingly, I know some Dominicans who would take serious issue with that claim. Mofongo is the flagship dish in many typical Dominican restaurants like Adrian Tropical, which offers a number of variations on the theme, some Dominicans would consider it heresy to label it as a foreign import.

So what is mofongo?
First, let me tell you what is mofongo: this is an extremely tasty and filling dish made with plantains: fried, mashed with garlic, shaped into a ball and served in a pilón (the mortar bit of the pestle and mortar). Classic mofongo is made with chicharrón (fried pork rind) and Adrian Tropical also does a chicken version and – my choice – a garlic prawn alternative – all served with a garlicky broth to moisten the plantain and bring out the flavor. It can be eaten for lunch or supper, and is also a popular snack for late-night revelers.

Go to Puerto Rico and you’ll find the same thing – mofongo is all over the place there too. In fact, so much of Puerto Rican cuisine is similar to Dominican, that it’s difficult to say who invented what. There are some differences, like in the spelling: what we know as guandules (pigeon peas) in the DR is spelled gandules in PR. Similar or identical dishes sometimes have different names.

I had the pleasure of visiting Puerto Rico last month, and my seven-year old son gave a special vote of approval for ‘pinchos’ – that universal treat of barbecued chicken, fish or meat on a skewer also known as brochettes, kebabs or pinchitos elsewhere. Bearing in mind my less than carnivorous tendencies, I enjoyed a simple but delicious plate of garbanzos (chickpeas).
Mofongo – never, ever to be confused with mondongo – is a sensitive subject. I always have to think twice before saying the word, especially when ordering in a restaurant, because I don’t know what I’d do if a steaming plate of innards was put in front of me, instead of mofongo. I’m also going to re-read this article very carefully to make sure I haven’t put my foot in it, so to speak.

How’s this for a compromise? Puerto Rican and Dominican cuisine share the exact same roots: Taíno, African and Spanish. Both countries have Middle Eastern and Chinese immigrants, as well as European influences apart from the Spanish, the only striking difference being the Corsican influx to Puerto Rico. Later influences may have varied – for obvious reasons Puerto Rico has a much stronger US influence than the Dominican Republic, for example, while the DR has closer contact with its Haitian neighbors. Mofongo, however, comes from the African side of the family so that’s where we shall say its origins really lie.
Dominicans and Puerto Ricans are the grateful heirs.
Aunt Ilana
Mofongo is a tasty dish made with plantains shaped into a ball and served in a pilón (a mortar). Here's how to make it with my mofongo recipe.
Not to be confused with mondongo, it is a very tasty dish, easy to prepare and that has great following among Dominicans. There are many restaurants throughout the island that serve the many varieties of this dish. We are presenting here the traditional recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 lb of pork cracklings, cut into very 1" pieces
- 1 cup of oil for frying
- 5 unripe plantains
- 2 tablespoons of mashed garlic
- Salt
- 1 lb of beef bones (any type would do)
- 2 cloves of garlic, mashed
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- 1 sprig of coriander
- 1 sprig of recao/cilantro ancho/culantro (optional)
- 1 onion, halved
- 1 pinch of oregano
- Salt
Instructions
- In a deep pot heat the oil over medium heat.
- Brown the meat being careful that it does not burn.
- Add the garlic and onion and stir.
- Add 4 cups of water, the coriander, recao and oregano.
- Cook for an hour over low heat, topping off the water every once in a while to maintain the same level.
- Season with salt to taste.
- Sieve and remove the solids.
- In a sauce pan heat a tablespoon of oil over very low heat and cook and stir the garlic for 1 minute. Mix in two teaspoons of salt.
- Remove from the heat and reserve.
- In a deep frying pan heat the remaining oil and fry the plantains till golden brown all over. Using a pilón (wooden mortar) mash the plantains, garlic and cracklings together.
- Serve garnished with the beef stock.
Notes
If you want to make pork cracklings from scratch, follow the directions in this recipe


Aunt Clara's Kitchen is a collection of traditional Dominican and Dominican-inspired recipes, home ideas, crafts, and the chronicles of Aunt Clara and Aunt Ilana's adventures.













{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
es una de mis comidas favoritas me gusta mucho mi mofongo.
Hello! I'm so glad you found me on flickr! I visited DR in December and I completely fell in love with Dominican cuisine
The recipes you publish are so easy to make that I'll start trying them right away… ok, as soon as I find plantains in Poland, which is not that easy.
Greetings from Poland!
Good luck on your search. If there is any sizable African community in Poland you should start your search there. Thanks for visiting.
I was riding on SOBT in Orlando today and saw a Latin restaurant advertising mofongo. I didn't know what that was so I googled it. It sounds delicious. But what are pork cracklins? Can you buy them in the grocery store? Are they the same thing as pork rinds in a bag? Please advise.
If you are Dominican then you need chicharrones, if not, and the word means nothing to you, you need deep-fried pork skin, it is a bit more tender, meatier and softer than industrial pork rinds.
BTW, do a Google image search on "pork crackling" and you'll see what I mean.
Can you go into how to cook the meat for this, or perhaps link to a recipe that does go into it? I'm a complete novice at cooking and don't know how to go about it without instructions.
You can follow the instructions in this recipe: http://www.dominicancooking.com/11439-panecicos-cassava-and-pork-rolls.html
any way to make this just as tasty without any meat?
I have tried one with shrimps. I will try to make it soon. Or do you mean vegan?
correction, i meant without broth? also i would like to know what pork cracklings are, are they pork rinds?
sorry, i just went back and re read the comments about pork rinds, i see
Do you buy store bought beef stock or do you make it yourself? If so, how do you make it?
Hello,
Can you please tell me exactly where Adrian Tropical is located in Santo Domingo? Do they have a restaurant in Santiago and Puerto Plata? I would love to try out their Mofongo!
Thanks.
The one that is easiest to find is on Malecon.
I don’t eat meat only fish and would love a fish version of mofongo I know that there are some but cannot find one
Thanks Carolyn
make the mofongo and to acompanny it make some fish or some salteed codfish
Oh my God… Just last week I was in Santo Domingo and at about 1:30AM found myself drooling over the Garlic Prawn Monfongo at Adrian Tropical!
It is the very reason I am on the internet searching for the recipe!!!
hello im from Puerto Rico and fun fact a Dominican chef said on an interview that the mofongo was introduced to the Dominican republic in the 60's
im a Puertorican chef
. mofongo is something very common in Puerto Rican cuisine
That would be because it is Puertorican.
Your instructions were great and the Mofongo came out maravilloso, thanks a bunch. It reminded me of my grandmas…excellent
I am very glad to hear that.
Gracias!
I LOVE mofongo but — where can I buy it for serving at home?
Mil gracias.
The taste of this wonderful cannot be described after one taste but you have described I also have had the pleasure of eating this dish and never thought that would be able to learn how to prepare it Thanks for the info
Hello,
Thank you so much for the recipe! I’ve heard that the plantanos were supposed to be boiled then mashed . . . glad I read your recipe. My husband chooses not to eat pork so the first time I had mofongo was plain no meat at all and I loved it . . . until one day I saw a menu with Mofongo de Camarrones, Mofongo con Camarrones . . . made with shrimps inside or just topped with shrimps each just delicious with a lovely garlic sauce.
Do you have a recipe for Mofongo with Shrimps and Garlic Sauce?
Again, thank you for sharing your recipes!
Cucha
Not yet. I will post one some day.
here in miami beach ,the best Mofongo is at a tiny place called Jimmy Z.its in a small shopping center on 15th and alton rd…
Love the pictures love the recipe! I am not at all a novice cook, but I am a little confused. Nowhere does it say what to do with the bones or the cracklings? Are you supposed to brown the bones (which some people do prior to making stock)? Or brown the pork? I assume the bones go in with the water, recao, etc… But again, a little clarification would be great!!
Thank you!
You are just supposed to boil everything to make broth, just as the recipe indicates. Don’t worry, if it’s not in the instructions it means you don’t have to do it.
Please read the recipe carefully. Step 10 indicates what to do with the cracklings.
I have no doubts myself, but I have met many people who do.
Aunt Clara,
Thank you for clarifying TO ME that this isn’t a Dominican dish. I always thought it was. And to be quite frank I don’t understand why people are making such a big deal of this. I am Dominican and thought it was ours. So people she was right, there are some Dominicans out there that do believe it was originated in our island.