Semiserious Chefs

The world culture history in the name of this recipe is just outstanding! ‘Fufu’ comes from West Africa. It is the name for a sticky dough that has been made from a boiled and mashed starch, typically African yam, cassave/yuca, or plantain. In this instance it’s mashed Plantain Fufu, though not quite the same texture as it’s African cousin. The ‘mojo’ or sauce, is “The People’s Sauce” or “Sauce of the Creole People;” those with Spanish decent. Put together it becomes Fufu de Plátano Con Mojo Criolle (Foo-foo deh plontonoe con MO-hoe cre-OH-yo); Mashed Plantain with Creole Sauce.

Now, about this mojo criollo: I’m sure there are plenty of Creole Sauces out there, and obviously The Holy Trinity of onions, green bell peppers, and celery that is used for a base of MANY Creole dishes, but this is Cuba and not New Orleans. This criolle is focusing on the Spanish heritage and not that of the French. That being said, traditional mojo criolle is made with seville oranges, also known as bitter orange and in Spanish, naranja agria. This type of orange can be hard to find in most US grocery stores. You will probably find it easily in a Hispanic, or even Asian, market and the juice is also commonly sold bottled. But if this isn’t an option for you, try substituting a combination of naval, grapefruit, and lemon juices.

Cubans don’t always make their mashed plantains with mojo criolle. In fact it is quite often the same as Puerto Rico’s Monfogo, with chicharonnes and garlic, though it would still go by Fufu de Plátano. I just happen to be on a journey to try the many different Latin American mashed plantain breakfast/dishes there are, so it was really exciting to come across yet another distinguished variation.