Mofongo de Pana ('Ulu)
Apr 22, 2021
Mofongo de Pana (ʻUlu)
4
15 minutes
90 minutes
Caribbean
Main, Soup
SPRING 2021 RECIPE CONTEST 3RD PLACE - A Caribbean favorite! Traditionally made with mashed plantains & chicharrón, this recipe uses breadfruit & pork belly. Slightly sweet & savory, it's delicious!
Ingredients
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1 lb beef bones
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 white onion, quartered
6 cups of water
4 leaves of recao (if available, also called culantro)
3 tbsp fresh Cilantro
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ cup lime juice
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1 lb pork belly
½ gallon of water
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ cup lime juice
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- 2 large green ʻulu or approximately 6 cups of HUC ʻulu (peeled, cored, and par-cooked)
1 cup peanut oil for frying
1 tsp salt
1 tsp minced garlic
Directions
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Brown beef bones in oil in a large heavy bottomed pot, add onion and brown them for a couple more minutes.
Add your remaining ingredients and simmer the broth over low heat for 1 hour. Caldo should reduce by half but add more water if needed during the reduction process. Strain when finished.
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Boil pork belly in water with seasonings for about 35 minutes until pork is tender and easily pierced by a fork.
Remove pork belly, allow to cool and pat dry.
Fry pork belly in 1 cup of peanut oil until very crispy all over for several minutes over medium heat. Be very careful when handling and frying the chicharrón and use a splatter guard or a vented lid if you can.
Once fried and cooled off, dice into ¼ inch cubes. *1 lb of crispy fried bacon can be used instead to pork belly
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2 large green ʻulu or approximately 6 cups of par cooked ʻulu from Hawaiʻi ʻUlu Cooperative. If using fresh ʻulu, quarter and remove core of ʻulu.
Steam or boil for 10-15 minutes until tender but not mushy. Strain and allow to cool.
Cut either your freshly steamed or store-bought ʻulu pieces into 1 inch cubes and fry in 1 cup of oil until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes each side
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Fry the ʻulu in 1 cup of oil until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes each side
Form balls of mofongo by placing 1 cup of freshly fried ʻulu, 2 tablespoons of chicharron, a pinch of salt and a pinch of minced garlic into a pilon (mortar and pestle). Mash ingredients together well and scoop out of the pilon.
Place mofongo balls into a bowl, pour some caldo over the top, garnish with a little more chicharron and enjoy!
You should get 4-5 balls of mofongo roughly the size of a tennis ball. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle available, you can mash ingredients with a potato masher in a large bowl and form the balls with your hands.
