Dominican mangu (mashed plantains)

Name: Dominican mangu (mashed plantains)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Caribbean
Ingredients: 4 large green plantains, peeled; 1 large red onion, sliced; a knob of dairy free butter (see my recipe); 2 tbsp of coconut oil; 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar; 2 tsp of himalayan; ** egg and/or salami for opting for non vegan option

August 11, 2015 by Charla 35 Comments

Dominican mangu – a popular breakfast dish hailing from the Dominican republic consisting of green plantains that are boiled then mashed.

I don’t think you can go wrong with plantains (plantano in spanish). If you’re from the Caribbean you will already know that plantains have a tendency to appear in many dishes – boiled, roasted, fried, baked you name it and at least one island has been there, done that and got the t-shirt.

You guys already know how much I love plantains but you see this isn’t about me at all. I’m here to show you what the Caribbean has to offer from the English speaking islands right down to the Spanish ones, every island has their own unique signature style dish and I’m more than happy to share them with you.

As with anything it takes some trial and error, sometimes the results are sheer perfection the first time around, while other times it’s sub par. I couldn’t help but share this Dominican breakfast recipe with my readers, it’s very simple yet filling courtesy of the main star of the show – mr plantano.

What is Dominican mangu?

What is Dominican mangu you ask? Good question! Mangu, the name is believed to have derived from the expression of a US marine after eating some mashed plantain, he described as “man good”. The name has since revolved to the Spanish pronunciation mangu.

In short, the dish mangu consists of green plantains that are boiled until tender with salt and mashed in a small amount of water.

What is mangu usually served with?

Dominicans typically eat mangu for breakfast, it can be served as a main meal with eggs, red onions and salami or as a side dish. I recreated this as an evo-vegetarian dish and omitted the salami. You can omit the eggs and salami to cater to a vegan palette or serve in the traditional way.

What are some of the health benefits of green plantains?

Plantain contains both insoluble and soluble fiber.

Fiber is extremely crucial to aiding our digestive system and keeping our bowel’s as healthy as can be. I would align the role of fiber with a street sweeper, given it has the ability to sweep right through the digestive tract and help with the formation on stools – yes I really just went there with the conversation. It needs to be said as many people suffer from constipation and struggle to remedy this with food.

How long should I boil the green plantains for?

The plantain should be boiled until it tenderises which should take roughly 10-15 minutes. Use a fork to prick the plantain. The fork should prick the plantain with no effort and be soft to the touch. That’s when you know it’s thoroughly cooked

Is Dominican mangu spicy?

As you may have already noticed I have’t spoken about any herbs or spices, something that’s normally featured within Caribbean cuisines. Dominican mangu is very mild in taste but incredibly fulling due to the high level of fibre and of course we procure a good source of iodine from the sauteed red onions.

How to make Dominican Mangu – the steps

1, start off by cutting you green plantain in two equal halves

2, Each plantain should be halved as shown above

3, Score the side of the plantain in order to prepare the skin to be removed

4, Use your hands to break away the rest of the peel, it should be easy to remove as you proceed to do this.

5, Place the peel plantains in a saucepan ready to be boiled

6, As you can see this is what the plantain looks like once boiled, as more yellow hue and tender when pricked with s fork.

7, Grab a potato masher and proceed to break down the plantains. You can either do this is small batches if you find it unmanageable. As instructed add some hot water, a small amount at a time to help form the mash.

8, Once done you plantain mash should be mushy and resemble the above.

Notes

Mangu is free from gluten and paleo friendly
You can purchase green plantains from an ethnic grocery store .ie Caribbean, African, Latino and south Asian
Serve the mangu with alone or a vegan “meat” option to suit your dietary requirement
Feel free to use my dairy free recipe How to make your own dairy free butter