I had been trying to make mofongo just like in the restaurants in Puerto Rico (but vegan, of course), and it eluded me for months. Finally, I am really proud of my mofongo with stewed chick’n recipe. And I am so excited to share it with y’all! This has to be the most famous Puerto Rican plate around the world. It certainly is the one most people ask me about, or mention whenever I say I’m from Puerto Rico.
This recipe takes some time to make, especially if you are not used to it. But it is so worth it! It is definitely a “weekend meal”, as my husband likes to call long and complicated recipes. Make sure to have fun with it. And, if you have any questions after reading everything through, leave your question on the comments section. I promise I’ll answer!
So, let’s get to it!
Making the Mofongo
For the star of the show, mofongo, you will need only five ingredients: green plantains, garlic, salt, olive oil, and low-sodium vegetable broth. Make sure that the plantains are as green as possible. As soon as they start to look yellow, the taste and texture changes.
Start by peeling the plantains and cutting them up into 1/2 inch chunks. While you are doing this, have the oil heating up in a large saucepan, on high heat. When the oil is hot enough, carefully dunk the plantain chunks into the oil. Then turn down the heat to medium. Fry for 7-8 minutes until the plantains are cooked through, but not crunchy. Scoop them into a paper towel-lined colander.
If you have a medium to small mortar, you will need to prepare half of the ingredients at a time. That just gives you one serving of mofongo each time. Mash half of the garlic with half of the salt and oil. Then, two by two, add half of the plantains and start mashing. After you have mashed half of the plantains, add half of the vegetable broth. Mash until they are mixed well and the texture is smooth. If you want the texture to be smoother, add vegetable broth in 1 tsp. increments. Serve the mofongo into a plate, and you have your first serving. Repeat the process with the second half.
Stewed Chick’n Soy Curls
For the stewed soy curls, I make the sauce and the soy curls separately first. Before making the sauce, make sure to put the soy curls in a bowl and cover them with hot tap water for 15 minutes.
To make the sauce, start by heating up 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in a medium saucepan. When the oil is hot, add the sofrito and the low-sodium vegetable bullion (I use this one), and saute for a minute. Then add the olives and “sazón”, and saute for an additional minute (see my post on “sazón” here). Add the tomato sauce and leave sauteing for at least three minutes. Finally, add the vegetable broth and salt, and bring to a low boil. Leave uncovered for at least ten minutes.
By this point, the soy curls should already be rehydrated. Drain them and pat dry. In the bowl, coat the soy curls with the adobo. Heat 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet. After it’s hot, add the soy curls and stir fry on medium heat for about ten minutes, or until they are lightly browned. Then, add the soy curls to the sauce. Leave covered on low heat for at least five minutes, so the soy curls can absorb the sauce’s flavor.
Serve atop the mofongo in a bowl with some of the sauce on top. You can eat with avocado and green mix salad. Buen provecho! 😉
Vegan Mofongo with Stewed Chick'n
Ingredients
Mofongo
- 4 green plantains
- 4 large garlic cloves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 "pilón", wooden or stone mortar
- 2 cups vegetable or canola oil
Stewed Chick'n Soy Curls
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 5 tbsp sofrito
- 1/4 low-sodium vegetable bullion
- 4 tsp sazón/seasoning
- 1.5 tbsp green olives
- 4 tbsp tomato sauce
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 pckg Butler Soy Curls
- 1 tsp adobo
Instructions
Mofongo
- Peel the green plantains and cut them into 1/2 inch chunks
- On a large saucepan, heat the oil on high. When the oil is very hot, carefully dunk the plantain chunks into the oil, and turn the heat down to medium heat.
- Fry for 7-8 minutes, until the plantains are cooked but not crunchy. Then scoop out onto a paper towel-lined colander.
- Mash half the garlic with half the salt and oil in the mortar
- Add half of the plantains and half of the vegetable broth.
- Mash all of them together until you get a smooth and soft texture. You can add more vegetable broth if you want it to be smoother.
- Serve the mofongo onto a plate.
- Repeat the process with the other half of the ingredients.
Stewed Chick'n Soy Curls
- Before starting to make the sauce, place the soy curls in a large bowl, and cover them with hot tap water. Leave them to rehydrate for fifteen minutes. Then start making the sauce.
- To make the sauce, heat 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in a medium saucepan.
- Add the vegetable bullion and sofrito, and sautee until fragrant, for about a minute.
- Add the olives and "sazon", and sautee for another minute.
- Add the tomato sauce, and sautee for about three minutes. Then, add the vegetable broth and salt.
- Bring to a low boil and leave uncovered for at least 10 minutes.
- At this point, you can probably drain the soy curls and pat them dry. On the bowl, add the adobo and mix until all the soy curls are coated.
- On a large skillet, heat 1/2 tbsp of olive oil, then add the soy curls. Stir fry on medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the soy curls are lightly browned.
- Then, add the soy curls onto the sauce and mix until all the soy curls are coated with the sauce. Leave covered for at least five minutes, so the soy curls can absorb the flavor of the sauce.
- Serve on top of the mofongo and enjoy!
Looks delicious; can’t wait to try!