Mangu con Queso Frito (garlicky green plantain mash with fried cheese)

Mangu con Queso Frito

When it comes to typical dishes from my country, well, this is as Dominican as it gets. Most people who have had green plantains have usually tried them as fried chips/tostones, or maybe even as mofongo, which is more common in Puerto Rico than in the Dominican Republic.

If you’ve ever vacationed in DR and had the pleasure of having mangu, then you may have had a few slices of Dominican salami on your plate. No salami here. Just a few pieces of perfectly fried cheese.

Queso, Cheese

Peeling plantains can be tricky, but there are a few tricks to working with these. First of all, if you don’t want them to ripen too quickly, then the trick is to keep them in a plastic bag in the fridge. HOWEVER…. you should peel them only after they’ve come down to room temperature. It’s much easier this way.

To find frying cheese (Queso de Freir) you must head to your Latino/Hispanic market. If you can’t find it, you can substitute Saganaki (fried Greek cheese) or just melt some slices of mozzarella. They’re all a bit different but are still quite delicious with Mangu.

For the onions pictured here I simply sautéed sliced red onions in a bit of oil prior to sautéing the garlic and plantains. I also made a bit of cilantro butter (salted butter + cilantro) for the corn in the image. All complementary flavors that work well with this dish.

Mangu con Queso Frito
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MANGU CON QUESO FRITO

Cuisine Dominican
Keyword Cheese, Mangu, Plantian, Queso
Cook Time 2 minutes
Total Time 8 minutes

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS

  • 5 green unripened plantains peeled
  • 5 cloves of garlic peeled and sliced
  • 2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1 cup of water
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 block frying cheese cut into ¼” slices
  • 1 large onion sliced into rings
  • salt to taste

Instructions

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Cut plantains on a bias into ¼ inch slices. Place in medium sized stock pot with stock and water, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until plantains are fork-tender. Cover and allow to cool slightly.
  2. In a medium sized bowl, add softened plantains, butter and half of the cooking liquid. Mash until all ingredients are combined. The mixture should have a slightly wet consistency. Set aside.
  3. Place vegetable oil in medium skillet and add onions with a pinch of salt. Cook until translucent and remove from pan, shaking off any excess oil.
  4. Fry cheese slices until golden on each side. Remove from pan and set aside. Ensure skillet has approximately 1 tablespoon of oil after onions and cheese have been cooked.
  5. Add garlic to pan and cook until it becomes aromatic (about 1-2 minutes). Don’t allow garlic to brown or burn.
  6. Add plantain mash to pan and incorporate with garlic oil. Add salt to taste.
  7. Serve mangu (mashed plantains) with onions and fried cheese. Enjoy!
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