Majado de verde or mashed plantains
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; however I also enjoy 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.
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 I haven’t been back since the days when it was still owned and run by Jaime and Durga.
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 it is made with green bananas and also has ground peanuts or peanut butter. Tigrillo is green plantain mash that has a more moist consistency due to the fact that it also includes eggs, milk and cheese added when cooking everything together in the pan – one of my favorite variations of tigrillo is one that adds shrimp or the variation with chicharrones (pork belly).
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 or brunch dish, serving it with some black coffee and fresh fruit juice is also a must. The quantities in this recipe are for four people.
Majado de verde or mashed plantains
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.
Step by step preparation photos for Ecuadorian majado de verde or mashed green plantains
Thank you so much for your website. I am learning ecuadorian recipes and this is the first recipes I tried and we love it. I am buying lots of ecuadorian things like machica, harina de achira, harina de maiz, harina de platano…wow there are so many things. Thanks a lot!
It’s funny, I came across your site looking for a recipe for bolones de verde. The last time I made them was over 20 years ago as a boy with a friend of my mothers in a little town called Vilcabamba a hostal called Madre Tierra. If memory serves we baked them before mashing but that was an awful long time ago. It delights me to see some of these recipes and brings back lots of wonderful memories, thank you.
It’s absolutely delicious ! I didn’t have achiote so I replaced it with chili powder.
The second time I cooked it I added a jalapeño and ate it with a rest of beef empanada filling, I also tried it with pulled pork carnitas. It works every time :D Thank you !
Greetings from a North American expat living in Cuenca!
My neighbor kindly brought over a bunch of green plantains the other day and said she likes them best made into tigrillo. Of course I headed straight for your site, certain that I would find detailed instructions and I did! I followed the above receipe, adding a little milk and cheese to the mash and produced a delicious and VERY filling breakfast.
I brought a plate, served with fried egg on top and a side of guacamole, to my neighbor. Now she thinks I’m a talented cook. She’s an old-fashioned lady without a computer but I will share my secret with her anyway. Perhaps your website will lure her into the internet!
Thanks for making me look good and for giving me the courage to cook the foods I enjoy in restaurants at home.
Hola Laylita, felicitaciones por tu blog y tus deliciosas recetas, en verdad que todos me traen muy buenos recuerdos y siempre me sacan una sonrisa! Probé un plato similar a este en machala pero tenia tambien mantequilla de maní y encima queso derretido y cebollas fritas. Sabes cual es el plato? de ser así, sabrias como modificarlo? Nuevamente muchas gracias y sigue así! :)
Great recipe! I made it for a family brunch on “conference Sunday” (LDS general conference- great time to cook because no church meetings). I made tigrillo and layered strips of a thin omelet on top instead of the fried eggs. It was a hit with my whole family of gringos . Thanks for an always inspiring website.