-
4
green plantains, sliced
-
1 lb
pork belly, diced
-
6
garlic cloves, minced
-
2 tbsp
extra-virgin olive oil
-
2 tbsp
fresh lime juice
-
1/2 cup
chicken broth
-
1 tsp
salt
-
1
Place 4 sliced green plantains in a large pot, cover with water, and boil over medium-high heat for 20 minutes until tender.
-
2
Fry 1 lb diced pork belly in a skillet over medium heat for 10 minutes until crisp and the internal temperature reaches 145°F.
-
3
Remove pork belly from the skillet, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
-
4
Add 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil and 6 minced garlic cloves to the pan fat and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
-
5
Drain plantains and transfer them to a large bowl.
-
6
Add the cooked garlic oil mixture, 2 tbsp fresh lime juice, 1/2 cup chicken broth, and 1 tsp salt to plantains, then mash until smooth.
-
7
Fold crispy pork belly into the mashed plantains and serve warm.
Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.
About Fufu de Platano
Also called: fufú de plátano, Cuban fufu, fufu cubano, plantain fufu
Fufu de plátano is a Cuban side dish of boiled green plantains mashed with garlic, lime, a little broth and crisp pork. It is close to Puerto Rican mofongo and Dominican mangú in that it is mashed plantain, but the Cuban version is softer and looser, mashed in a bowl rather than in a pilón, and often contains chicharrón or pork belly.
The name is shared with West African fufu, which is a pounded swallow of yam, cassava or plantain, but the Cuban dish is eaten with a fork as a side, alongside roast pork, steak or eggs. To make fufu de plátano: boil green plantains until tender, fry pork belly until crisp, cook garlic in the rendered fat, then mash everything together with lime juice and broth.
Serving and keeping
Serve hot beside roast pork, bistec or fried eggs. Reheat leftovers with a splash of broth.
Variations
Half ripe plantains
Use a mix of green and yellow plantains for a sweeter, softer mash, a common home variation.
Without pork
Skip the pork belly and cook the garlic in olive oil alone; use vegetable broth for a meat-free side.
With chicharrones
Fold in crushed pork rinds instead of pork belly for extra crunch.
If it goes wrong
The mash is gluey or stiff
Mash while the plantains are hot and add the broth gradually in step 6 until it loosens. Cold green plantain sets firm.
The plantains are still hard in the center
Boil longer; thick slices of very green plantain can need 25 to 30 minutes. A knife should slide in without resistance.
The pork belly is chewy
Fry it the full 10 minutes in step 2 over medium heat so the fat renders and the pieces crisp.
Substitutions
- pork belly: thick-cut bacon. Smokier; reduce the salt.
- chicken broth: the plantain cooking water. Less savory; season to taste.
- fresh lime juice: sour orange juice. A common Cuban alternative with a softer acidity.
Questions
How long does Fufu de Platano take?
As written, 40 minutes: 15 of prep and 25 of cooking. The longest single stretch is step 1 (20 minutes): "Place 4 sliced green plantains in a large pot, cover with water, and boil over medium-high heat for 20 minutes until tender."
What internal temperature should Fufu de Platano reach?
For Fufu de Platano, the target internal temperature is 145 F (about 65 C), given in step 2. A probe thermometer removes the guesswork.
Is Fufu de Platano gluten-free?
Yes. As written, nothing in the ingredient list for Fufu de Platano is wheat, barley or rye. Gluten hides in packaged goods, so read the label on the chicken broth.
How many calories are in Fufu de Platano?
One serving (the recipe makes 4) is about 420 calories, with 14 g protein, 52 g carbohydrate and 18 g fat, plus 5 g fiber and 580 mg sodium. The figures are estimates computed from the ingredient list.
How long does Fufu de Platano keep?
Refrigerate what is left of Fufu de Platano within two hours and eat it within three days. Reheat gently on the stovetop.
Cook this free in the app
Textual Chef is 4,544 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.
Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.
Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.
