Cuban Fufu

This classic Cuban Fufu Recipe is going to take you step by step to making a delicious traditional fufu. It’s quick and easy to do. Let’s hop right in.

What is Fufu?

Fufu is essentially, mashed plantain. Plantains are a less sweet, starchier equivalent to their cousin, the banana. Think of them as banana-adjacent. A major difference being they should almost always be cooked before eating. Plantains are not great raw, so don’t be tricked by their banana-like qualities.

Cooked plantains are nutritionally very similar to a potato, calorie-wise, but contain more of certain vitamins and minerals. They’re a rich source of fiber, vitamins A, C, and B-6, and the minerals magnesium and potassium.

Cuban Fufu vs Dominican Mangu vs Puerto Rican Mofongo

Fufu’s roots begin in West Africa, where mashed plantains have always been the staple starch in their diet. In some countries they are fried or boiled but they almost always smashed together with some type of salty pork product like bacon. Plantains are actually an extremely important staple for people in tropical countries.

In the Dominican, they have a similar dish called Mangu. It has a smoother texture and served usually for breakfast, however could be eaten any time of day. In the DR it is usually served with eggs and sausage.

In Puerto Rico, they have Mofongo. The difference between Fufu and Mofongo is in Mofongo, plantains are fried, then vigorously smashed together. In the Fufu, the plantains are boiled, not fried. Puerto Ricans also love to top it with anything from seafood to fried pork. Think of camarones over a bed of Mofongo, heaven!

Make Fufu not Tostones

Usually when a person has green plantains, their mind immediately goes to tostones. Tostones (try OUR recipe) are twice fried smashed plantains topped with salt and served with Mojo. Fufu is the “other” popular dish with green plantains. As mentioned above, the plan is to boil the plantains, and then mash them together with crispy bacon and sauteed onions and garlic. Then there is chicken broth to help smooth it out and add even more flavor. 

Fufu is really an ideal side dish. It comes together quickly, it’s very delicious, and has that ability to soak up the flavor of whatever you throw on top of it.

What would we serve over our Fufu?

 

Tips about plantains:

Keep in mind, that Plantains do have a reputation for being tricky to work with.  

Peeling can be hard, but we have a trick! When you go to peel the plantains they can be a little difficult. A trick is to slice one slit along the length of the plantain with a knife. Then submerge the entire plantain in very hot water for 5 minutes. Once you do this the skin will peel off very easy. 

Plantains tend to dry out. When you are cutting the plantains before boiling, you don’t want to cut them in a small dice or they will absorb a lot of water and cause your fufu to be tasteless and watery. Keep them in larger chunks.

It’s important to keep the bananas submerged in the cooking liquid until just before mashing because they can try out. 

Traditionally, fufu is made with green plantains but you can also make it with platano pinton, which is when the plantain is in the stage between green and black. Using this type of plantain or a combination of different plantains will make your fufu a little sweeter.