Born in Río Grande, Puerto Rico, and raised between there and Providence, Rhode Island, chef Omi Hopper first built her Cooking con Omi platform during the pandemic. Then she proudly brought that proudly Boricua point of view to Next Level Chef reaching an even larger audience. Her forthcoming cookbook, Cooking con Omi: A Love Letter to Puerto Rican Home Cooking, is slated for an August release and gathers 100 recipes with stories, histories, and traditions that treat the kitchen not as a stage set but as a living room, loud with sofrito, music, family, and memory.
As National Puerto Rican Day celebrations approach on June 14, Hopper reflects that we are in “a really beautiful cultural moment,” with Puerto Rico’s music, food, and artists helping people understand the island beyond a vacation fantasy. “Puerto Rico isn’t just a tropical destination,” she says. “It’s a people with a rich history, resilience, and a cultural identity that stands on its own. When people ask me about Puerto Rican food, mofongo and sancocho are two dishes that tell our story beautifully.”
Mofongo, made from fried green plantains mashed with garlic and pork cracklings or bacon, is “comfort food,” according to Hopper, and one of the dishes most widely associated with Puerto Rican cuisine. That said, she clarifies that it is “also a reflection of our African influences and our ability to transform simple ingredients into something delicious.” Straightforward, hearty, and endlessly adaptable, mofongo is “a symbol of Puerto Rican flavor” and a dish that can sit beside almost anything, cradle saucy meats or seafood, or stand proudly on its own. (Serve it with Hopper’s sancocho for a full PR feast.)
Hopper’s version of mofongo keeps the method approachable—peel, fry, mash, and shape—then softens the plantains with warm chicken broth, butter, garlic, and chicharrones. “Every family has their own version,” she says, “and every Puerto Rican has an opinion about who makes the best one.” In Omi’s kitchen, that’s part of the pleasure: “En tu cocina tú mandas”—in your kitchen, you’re in charge.
Mofongo: Mashed Plantain with Garlic and Pork Crackling
Ingredients
Method
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil and heat until it shimmers. Add the plantain rounds and fry for 5 to 8 minutes, until golden brown and tender on both sides. Use a slotted spoon to remove the plantains from the oil and set on paper towels to drain excess oil.
- Transfer the fried plantains to a large mortar and pestle (or a mixing bowl with a potato masher). Add the garlic, butter, and pork cracklings and mash until well combined. Add the chicken broth, a little at a time, to soften the plantains and achieve a cohesive, chunky mashed potato–like texture.
- Season with salt or adobo and mix well. Shape the mofongo into 4 to 6 individual portions/balls and serve hot, with extra chicken broth on the side for dipping or drizzling.
Notes
Reprinted with permission from Cooking con Omi: A Love Letter to Puerto Rican Home
Cooking. Text © 2026 by Cooking con Omi, LLC Photographs © 2026 by Elizabeth Fuller. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.
