Mofongo is an African-Puerto Rican dish of deep-fried starchy vegetables mashed with garlic and oil. Typically the vegetable is green plantain or cassava root. This is a more accessible recipe, since it uses starchy russet potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Ingredients
Garlic Oil
- 4 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 20 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon achiote (annatto) seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon coriander seeds
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Sofrito
- 1 large onion, cut into ¼-inch slices
- 8 ounces tempeh, cut into ½-inch thick slices
- 2 medium fennel bulbs, cut into 1/8-inch slices (10 to 12 ounces each)
- ¼ cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup cooked white beans
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Black pepper, to taste
Mofongo
- 12 ounces russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch thick slices
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 12 ounces sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch thick slices
- Sea salt and black pepper
How to Make It
-
Garlic Oil
- Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and achiote seeds and cook until golden, about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cumin, oregano, and coriander. Cook for 30 seconds and remove from the heat. When cool enough to handle, process the mixture with the salt until smooth as possible using a blender. Set aside. Sofrito
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the garlic oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and tempeh, cover and cook until golden, about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the fennel and wine and cook until evaporated. Add the broth, beans, salt, pepper and another tablespoon of the garlic oil. Simmer until the fennel is tender and the sauce almost completely reduces, about 12 minutes. Mofongo
- Preheat a grill pan over medium heat. Toss the russet potato slices with 1 teaspoon oil and grill until tender, about 4 minute per side, covering the pan. Toss the sweet potatoes with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and grill until tender, about 2 minutes per side, covered. If the potatoes are not tender, add them to the pan directly on top of the sweet potatoes during the last 2 minutes of grilling. Mash the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside but keep warm. Serve the mofongo with the sofrito and a side of the garlic oil for dipping.