Recipe: Learning My Grandmother’s Dominican Mangú Recipe Was My Rite Of Passage
Growing up, I was privileged to have my maternal grandparents living just a floor underneath me. A lot of my days were spent hanging out with my grandmother as she made family dinner at 3 p.m. (Why do Latinx grandparents eat so early?) When she deemed me old enough, she started trusting me with her recipes and teaching me how to make the dishes she has been making me my entire life. As a first-generation American, learning traditional dishes help me better understand and connect with my culture. A staple in Dominican culture is mangú for breakfast and learning how to make this is a rite of passage. Feeding people that you love is definitely my grandmother’s love language, so now that we live 1000 miles away from each other, cooking meals that she taught me reminds me that I am always connected to my home.
Time to prepare: 35 minutes Serves: 4
Ingredients:
4 green plantains
4 eggs
2 red onions
1 lb of queso de freir
1 lb of salami
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
½ cup of cold water
4 tablespoons of butter
1 cup of white vinegar
2 cups of vegetable oil
½ teaspoon of salt
½ lime (juiced)
Recipe:
Peel plantains and cut each into four pieces. Place them into a pot and cover with water, salt the water to taste and boil on medium heat for 15-20 (or until fork tender).
While the plantains are cooking, prep the rest of your ingredients. Cut cheese into quarter-inch-thick pieces, coat in flour and fry on medium heat until golden brown.
Cut the salami to your desired thickness, and fry on medium until crispy.
Cut onions in half and then into slices, place onion slices into a bowl of white vinegar and allow to soak for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, place them into a heated frying pan, season with salt and cook on medium until soft.
When ready, remove plantains from heat, be sure to carefully reserve a cup of the water it cooked in and drain off the rest.
Add butter to the drained plantains and begin to mash with a fork (be careful, they will be hot). While mashing, add the juice of half a lime.
Once smooth, add the reserved platano water and COLD water slowly and mix until combined.
