What is Mangú? Discover all its variants and recipes

The Dominican Republic’s cuisine is based on foods such as potato, rice, yucca or plantain. The latter is served in all different styles, whether cooked, candied or stewed.

In addition, unlike Spanish gastronomy, the plantain is always, or almost always, one of the protagonists in Dominican cooking. It shouldn’t come as a surprise since this food has great nutritional value; it is rich in vitamin A, C, magnesium and potassium, and it is also low in fat and is an excellent source of fibre.

For this reason, going on holiday to Punta Cana wouldn’t be complete without trying one of its most typical recipes: mangú, a traditional dish from the Dominican Republic that is made from green plantains.

Mangú is never missing when it comes to the island’s gastronomy, since it is present in all of the country’s regions. It is the most popular food and, regardless of whether it’s served hot or cold, it’s always a good choice.

It is usually eaten at breakfast, but can also be served at lunch or dinner, or it can even be served as an appetizer or starter when we have people over to our home and want to surprise our family or friends.

In addition to being a dish that’s easy to prepare, it’s also delicious. In short, mangú is a basic recipe that anyone who loves the typical food from Punta Cana can learn how to make.

Recipe

The ingredients that we will need to make mangú for 4 people are the following:

• 7 green plantains
• 4 cups of water
• 4 tablespoons of butter or olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of salt

Normally, mangú is served with sautéed onion. To do this you will need:

• 1 large red onion
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of fruit vinegar
• Salt to taste

Step-by-step preparation

Image source: www.recetasgratis.net

Before starting to cook, you should make sure the plantains are very green, without a trace of brown or yellow.

It is very easy to make plantain mangú. These are the steps you have to follow:

1. Bring water to a boil and add salt. While the water is boiling, peel all the plantains and cut them in half.
2. Add the peeled and cut plantains to the boiling water and let them cook for about 10 minutes, until they are very soft.
3. Remove the plantains from the heat and mash with a mortar or fork. Add the cold water little by little, then add the butter or oil and continue mashing until it has a consistency similar to a puree. It’s important that there are no lumps.
4. Sauté the red onion in a pan, add the vinegar and salt to taste. Remove the onion once it starts to appear translucent.
5. Serve the mangú with the onion on top. Bon Appetit!

If you have plantain mangú that’s leftover, you can store it in the fridge and heat it up the next day, either in a pan or in the microwave. Add a little water to prevent the puree from drying out.

In addition, for those who do not like plantains, it can be substituted for corn. To prepare mangú with corn, you will need the following ingredients: a cup of cornmeal (or corn), two tablespoons of margarine, three teaspoons of salt and three cups of water.

As for the preparation of this type of mangú, do the following: mix all the ingredients in a pot, bring to a simmer and stir the mixture constantly. When it begins to form a homogenous mash, lower the heat and flip it every two or three minutes. After about 10 more minutes, remove the mash from the heat and serve the corn mangú hot.

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What to serve it with

In addition to being a delicious dish, it can be combined with an infinite number of sides.

You can serve mangú with salami, cheese and fried eggs. Although this combination isn’t the healthiest, it is the tastiest and most popular. As a recommendation, you can fry the cheese in a pan with a little oil. To do this, you need to buy a special type of cheese for frying.

Image source: buenprovecho.hn

On the contrary, if you prefer to choose a healthier combination, you can serve it with vegetables such as fried aubergines, courgette and squash.

However, the possibilities are as endless as your imagination. There are a variety of mangú recipes that you can try, depending on the amount of time you have and the setting. If you’re going to have a more formal dinner at home with your co-workers, you can opt for cod as an accompaniment. On the other hand, if you’re getting together with friends and family, it can be served with chicken or garlic shrimp.

In short, mangú is not only a traditional dish, but also can be prepared in an infinite number of ways and is tasty and very nutritious. And although you can prepare it at home for a unique culinary experience, your next holiday to the Dominican Republic is where you’ll really get to discover all its flavour.