Mangu Con Los Tres Golpes

The first time I tried Mangu con los Tres Golpes (three strikes) was when I first started dating my husband.

He wanted to make me a traditional Dominican breakfast and that’s when I fell in love with Dominican Mangu! This traditional mangu recipe has been passed down from generations in his family. I’m not going to take credit for this recipe because he is the one who cooked up this delicious mangu recipe. My favorite part is definitely the pickled onions which are neatly place on top of the mashed plantains. The flavors from the fried cheese, salami and egg just bring everything together to make this amazing dish what it is! If you enjoyed this Mangu recipe, definitely try this Caribbean Style Skirt Steak and Tostones and for dessert, I highly recommend this Chocolate Tres Leches Cake!

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My husband grew up eating Mangu Dominicano and until this day it is one of his favorite dishes. These are some of the steps you have to take when making this traditional Dominican breakfast.

• Peel the green plantains, chop and boil them.
• Mash the plantains with butter, water and add more salt to taste.
• Chop the salami, cheese and red onion.
• Soak the onions in vinegar.
• Fry the salami, cheese and egg.

Cut the plantains then boil.

Cut the cheese and salami as shown below.

How To Make Mangu Con Los Tres Golpes

1. First, start by slicing the red onion and adding them to a bowl with white vinegar. Let them soak as you prepare the rest of this mangu recipe.
2. Peel and chop the green plantains. Add enough water to cover the plantains and salt to a large pot and bring everything to a boil. Boil the plantains until they are tender. This should take about 15-20 minutes.
3. Reserve 1/2 cup of water from the pot you boiled the plantains in. Drain the rest of the water. Add butter to the plantains and begin mashing them with a fork or masher. Add in the reserved cup of water and an additional 1/2 cup of cold water and continue mashing until you achieve a smooth consistency. The cold water is to keep the plantains from hardening. This may seem like a lot of water but the plantains will absorb it.
4. Add canola or vegetable oil to a pan over medium high heat. The ideal temperature for the oil is between 360-365 degrees F.
5. Fry the sliced salami for about 2-3 minutes on each side.
6. You can use the same pan with the same oil if you want the cheese to have a little flavor. Add the cheese and fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side or until golden brown.
7. Fry the egg either in the same pan with the same oil or a different pan with new oil if desired. Cook until the edges are crispy and golden, about 3-4 minutes.
8. In a separate pan over medium heat, add oil. Cook the pickled onions along with the vinegar until they soften for about 2-3 minutes.
9. Serve the mangu topped with the pickled red onion slices, fried salami, cheese and egg.

Tips & Variations

• Make sure to purchase Queso de Freir. You can find this kind of cheese in most latin supermarkets. I usually purchase the Tropical brand.
• When adding the reserved water to the mashed plantains, it may seem like a lot at first. However, keep in mind that as mangu sits, it begins to dry out. You always want to add a little extra water so that by the time you serve it, it’s not dry.
• You don’t have to use the same pan and oil for frying the salami, cheese and egg. This is simply how my husband was taught by his mother. It adds additional flavor to the cheese and egg. However, if you don’t want to reuse the same oil, just clean the pan, add more oil and continue cooking.
• Dominican Mangu con Los Tres Golpes is not only served for breakfast. Honestly, you can have this dish for lunch and dinner as well.
• If you don’t want to use butter to mash the plantains, you may use a 1/4 cup of olive oil instead.
• Make sure to buy green, unripe plantains for this dish.