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Mangú
Dominican mashed green plantain with butter, topped with vinegar-soaked red onions, for breakfast
Mangú is breakfast across the Dominican Republic, from Santo Domingo's colmados to farm kitchens in the Cibao valley: green plantains boiled until soft, then mashed smooth with butter and a splash of cold water and crowned with red onions softened in vinegar. It is creamy, mild and salty, with the sharp pink onions cutting through. At home it's usually served as los tres golpes, with fried salami, fried cheese and fried eggs; this vegetarian plate keeps the queso frito and the eggs. Chef's tip: mash with cold water rather than the cooking water; cold water makes the mash smoother and lighter, the trick every Dominican grandmother swears by.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the onions
For the mangú
To serve
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Toss 2 red onions with ¼ cup white or apple cider vinegar and ¼ tsp salt in a bowl and leave them while you cook the plantains; they turn bright pink.
15 minStep 2: Peel 4 green plantains, cut each into 4 pieces and put them in a pan with cold water to cover and 1 tsp salt. Bring to the boil and simmer over a medium heat for 20–25 minutes, until a knife slides in as easily as into a boiled potato.
25 minStep 3: Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a small pan over a medium heat. Add the onions with their vinegar and cook for 3–4 minutes, until just soft and glossy but still pink. Keep warm.
4 minStep 4: Drain the plantains and mash at once while very hot, with 1 ⅜ oz butter, adding ½ cup cold water a little at a time until smooth and soft like mashed potato. A common mistake is letting the plantains cool before mashing: they stiffen and turn lumpy and gluey.
3 minStep 5: If serving with cheese and eggs, heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry 7 oz frying cheese (queso de freír or halloumi) for 1–2 minutes a side until crusty and golden, then fry 4 eggs until the whites are set and the edges lacy.
6 minStep 6: Spoon the mangú onto plates, pile the vinegar onions on top and serve hot with the fried cheese and eggs alongside.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 64 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mangú take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of red onions?
- White onion or shallots, same amount (soak raw onion in cold water for 10 minutes to soften it).
- What can I use instead of white or apple cider vinegar?
- Lemon juice, same amount.
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