Recipes

Dominican Mangu

Dinner  Lunch  Main Dish  Side Dish 

• Cooking Time: 15
• Servings: 4
• Preparation Time: 15
• 6 ea Plantains (green give you a potato taste vs ripe plantain make it sweet)
• 1/2 cup Butter
• 1/4 cup Milk
• Salt
• Bacon, chives, cheese

1. Peal Plantains, wash and boil

2. Take from heat and drain when a fork easily slides into plantain

3. Hand mash plantains

4. Add generous amount of room temperature butter. Add more if consistency is dry. *note: There is more butter than milk.

5. Add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup milk and salt to taste. *note: Milk is best if it is near room temperature.

6. Cheese, chives or cooked bacon can be added for flavor and fill. The dish is traditionally served with a full body sausage.

As the story goes, an American philanthropist living in the Dominican Republic was craving mashed potatoes. But at the time they were not grown in the DR. So at a restaurant, he told the chef that he wanted plantains to be boiled and mashed with butter, milk and seasoned.

The chef was confused as to why anyone would have their plantains mushed up, but he complied as the American was a regular and brought good money to the establishment.

After a while a large steaming plate of the mashed plantains arrived and the man dug in.

The Server asked how it was and the reply was a garbled "Man That was good!!" The server went back and said "Ma- Goo-" to the cook and the name stuck!

At least thats what the server told me at one of the restaurants.

The best mangu is homemade because it comes out hot and seasoned to your liking.

I craved mashed potatoes while I lived in the Dominican Republic as well. This dish with some local sausage fried up was a wonderful dish.