Majado de verde or green mashed plantains recipe

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Majado de verde, also called just majado o majao, is a dish made by boiling green plantains, mashing them and then mixing them with refrito or sofrito of onions, garlic and achiote or annatto. Majado de verde, translates literally as mashed green plantains, is very popular breakfast and brunch dish; though I love it for lunch or even dinner. It is more common to find this majado or green plantain mash in the coastal areas of Ecuador; but it is also popular in the Highlands or Sierra. While majado is usually made with green plantains, it can also be made with green bananas.

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Majado de verde or mashed plantains

Majado de verde is a green plantain mash made with green plantains, onions, garlic, and achiote. Majado is served with fried eggs and cheese slices.

Ingredients

3-4 green plantains peeled and cut in rounds (each plantain can be cut into 3-4 pieces)
1-2 tbs butter or oil
1 white onion diced
4 garlic cloves crushed
½ tsp achiote powder or ground annatto
Salt and pepper to taste

Serve with:

Fried egg
Queso fresco
Avocado
Aji criollo hot sauce

Instructions

Boil the plantains for 30 minutes or until soft.
Mash the plantains using a fork or potato masher. The consistency should have some small chunks, if it’s too smooth it will stick together.
Prepare a refrito by heating the butter or oil over medium low heat, add the diced onion, crushed garlic, achiote or annatto, salt and pepper. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 7-10 minutes.
Add the mashed plantains to the refrito and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and add additional salt/pepper if needed.
Serve immediately with a fried egg, slices of fresh cheese, avocado slices and aji criollo.

When I was growing up in Vilcabamba, the community of foreigners was still small enough so that everyone knew each other. Now it has grown so much that this is no longer case. Back in the old days, one of my parent’s good friend and neighbor – by neighbor I mean several km away – was Jaime, originally from Guayaquil, but who had lived in the US. He came to Vilcabamba to manage the Parador (the first hotel in town). After that, together with his wife, Durga, they started another hotel/hostal called Madre Tierra.

I have great memories of Madre Tierra and Jaime’s family, both happy and sad. The happy ones include fun times with friends and family; and of course, some delicious food memories, especially breakfast memories. They made amazing bread, baked in a clay oven. The homemade granola and yogurt were also delicious.

My personal favorite was the majado de verde that Jaime made. I always tend to associate food with specific memories and this majado de verde dish reminds me of Jaime. Sadly, Jaime passed away recently, and sold Madre Tierra several years before. I recently rode past Madre Tierra while on a horse ride, but haven’t been there since the days when it was still Jaime’s.

There are a few different dishes that are similar to this one that are made with green plantains. Molloco de verde is a very similar dish, the main difference is that eggs and cheese are added directly when cooking the mashed plantains with the refrito. Tigrillo is green plantain mash that has a more moist consistency due to the fact that it also includes milk and cheese – my favorite variation of tigrillo is one that adds shrimp.

You can also fry the green plantains, mash and and stuff them with cheese or meat to make bolones de verde or green plantain dumplings – another delicious plantain breakfast dish. Majado de verde is also very similar to some popular Caribbean plantain dishes, including the well-known mangu from the Dominican Republic. There are also similar variations known as mofongo in Puerto Rico and fufu de platano in Cuba.

Majado de verde is usually served with a fried egg and a slice of queso fresco. I also like to add some diced avocado or avocado slices, as well as some freshly made aji criollo or hot sauce. As a breakfast dish, black coffee and fresh fruit juice are also a must. The quantities in this recipe are for 4 people.