Mangu, or Dominican mashed plantains, is one of Dominicans' most beloved dishes, and the base of "Los Tres Golpes", the most complete and complex breakfast of our gastronomy. And if you want to make one that delights any Dominican, here is my "secret" mangu recipe.
Why we ❤️ it
Mangú is the most popular plantain-based dish in the Dominican Republic, an iconic traditional Dominican breakfast side dish, and one of the most popular Dominican foods. A creamy, smooth plantain mash, Dominican mangu is a great dish to start our days, and an unforgettable treat if you try it for the first time.
Our mangu recipe produces the creamiest, smoothest recipe, and our classic serving suggestions. Read more about the name and history of this beloved dish.
What is Mangu?
Mangu is the Dominican-style mashed plantain dish, and it is one of the best-known and most representative foods in Dominican cookery.
Served with "Los Tres Golpes", mangu could probably be called Dominicans' Official Breakfast Dish.
Alongside tostones and mofongo, mangú is one of the most popular plantain recipes in the Dominican Republic.
Mangú and Los Tres Golpes and green plantains.
Nutrition in plantains
According to our research, plantains are nutritionally beneficial, they have more than twenty times the amount of vitamin A, about three times the vitamin C, double the magnesium, and almost twice the potassium as a banana. Very low in fat and sodium, they are cholesterol-free and offer a good source of fiber. One-half cup of cooked slices contains about 89 calories.
Sounds great, doesn't it?
How to serve
Plantains for breakfast are usually eaten as mangú, which is made by boiling the plantains and mashing them with some water, salt, and oils or butter.
Mangu is traditionally topped with flavorful Dominican red onion slices in vinegar and served with fried eggs, fried cheese (crispy, golden brown, fried queso de freir), and fried salami (Dominican sausage). The dish is then referred to as Mangu con Los Tres Golpes (the three strikes).
Mangu and Los Tres Golpes.
Top tips
Keep in mind that once cooled, and by the time you get it to the table, it will become thicker so make it a bit thinner than you'd think you like it.
Mash the plantains as much as possible so there are no lumps in the mangú. We typically use a fork for it, but you can also use a potato masher.
If you're looking for a low-carb version, check out this recipe.
About this recipe
I like olive oil in my mangu, but this is a matter of personal preference, so feel free to use that or use butter if that's what you prefer.
The nutritional values are calculated using olive oil instead of butter.
This recipe yields 4 servings.
Video
Recipe
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Mangu [Recipe + Video] Dominican Mashed Plantains
Ingredients
To make mangu
- 2 plantain (green, unripe)
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 4 tablespoons butter, or olive oil, whichever you prever
Instructions
Mangú
Peel the plantains (see how-to) and cut lengthwise, then divide each half into two. You can remove the center where the seeds are located (optional, this is just my preference for a smoother mangú).- Boil the plantains in enough water to cover them plus an inch until they are very tender, having added the salt to the water before the water breaks the boil.
Remove the plantains from the water and mash them right away with a fork until they are very smooth and there are few to no lumps (be careful not to burn yourself). Mix in butter, and progressively add a cup of water at room temperature and keep mashing and mixing until it turns into a very smooth puree (see tips below).
Onions
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over low heat. Add onions and cook and stir until they become translucent. Pour in vinegar and season with salt to taste.
- Garnish mangu with the onions and serve per suggestions above.
Tips and Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutritional information.
Culture
This part was written in collaboration with Aunt Ilana
This is one of the best-known and most representative recipes of Dominican cuisine. It could probably be called Dominicans' official breakfast dish. A must-try for those sampling our cuisine. And yet we sometimes hear that "el plátano embrutece". It means that eating plantains is associated with intellectual inferiority.
In reality, we've yet still to meet any Dominican who looks down on mangu. That is one of the things I love about this country: despite sayings like ‘el platano embrutece’ which are said more in jest than anything, Dominicans are still fiercely proud and appreciative of their traditional cuisine. It is less and less frequent to hear this saying.
History of mangu
Plantains arrived in Santo Domingo from the Canary Islands in the early 1500s (2), about a decade after the first enslaved Africans. Plantain was by then an already established crop in West Africa.
Various mashed plantain dishes are part of the traditional West African cuisine (like Matoke, and Fufu, the last one still surviving in Cuba).
Why it's called mangu
There's a cute apocryphal story going around that explains that mangú got its name from the expression "man, good!" (which makes no grammatical sense, anyway) supposedly uttered by American soldiers during the American occupation of the Dominican Republic when they tried mangú. This is almost certainly not the origin of the name.
Conveniently, the story doesn't even mention which American occupation. By the second American occupation in 1965, mangu had already appeared in various Dominican books dating decades prior (1), and a mere couple of decades from the first occupation. None mention anything about this purported origin of the word.
The word "mogo" for the Cuban fufú --the closest dish to mangu we've found-- was already in use over two centuries ago in Cuba and attributed to "la nigricia", referring to people of African descent (3). It's certainly possible that these names are related, but we have found no definitive evidence of it.
It is still more than likely that the word and dish mangu are of African origin, as are many of our dishes, but it's difficult to draw a line that we are comfortable calling definitive for lack of documentation.
Curiously, mangu is also the name for a type of religious practice of the Azande people in Congo (where most of our African ancestors came from). Mangu is the magical substance that inhabits the stomach of witches.
FAQs
My trick for a very smooth mangu is to add a bit more water than it seems necessary at first. As it cools down, mangu will inevitably get harder, so start with a mushy mangu, and by the time it gets to the table it will have a soft and creamy consistency. Also, you'll need to mash very well, there's nothing worse than a lumpy mangu.
Yes, you can reheat mangu! Microwave or reheat the leftovers in a pan, just remember to add a bit more water because it will otherwise be too dry.
How long you need to boil the plantains for mangu will depend on the quality of the plantains, their freshness, and how small you cut them. It will take anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes.
One serving of mangu (about 1 cups) has 63 grams of carbs.
References
(1) Amanda Ornes de Perelló, Manual de Economía Doméstica. Sto. Dgo: Imp. La Información, 1938.
(1) Manuel A. Patin M. Dominicanismos. Sto. Dgo: Ed. Montalvo, 1940
(2) A. de Humboldt. Examen Político Sobre la Isla de Cuba. Gerona: Imp. de A. Oliva, 1836
(3) Esteban Pichardo. Diccionario Provincial Casi Razonado de Vozes y Frases Cubanas. Habana: Imp. El Trabajo, 1875
"[...]plátano salcochado y majado con manteca [...] En Bayamo se denomina Mogo, que tal vez será síncopa de Mofongo, palabra de Nigricia, usada en algunas de las Antillas."
Published August 26, 2001, revised
