Frituras de Malanga (Malanga Fritters)

Frituras de malanga, or malanga fritters are grated malanga combined with egg and flavored with parsley, garlic, salt and vinegar. They’re crispy on the outside, tender and mild on the inside. In Cuban cuisine, frituras de malanga are served as an appetizer or snack.

What is a Malanga?

Malanga is a brown, hairy tuber that has a white, inside. It is cultivated in many tropical regions and often used in Caribbean and South American cuisine.

Malanga has an earthy taste with a texture similar to a potato. It’s prepared pretty much the same way. In Cuban cuisine, malanga is used in stews, soups, mashed, grated and fried, or boiled and topped with a drizzle of olive oil or butter.

Can Malanga be eaten raw?

Malanga must be cooked before consuming. Popular preparations include boiling and frying.

Is Malanga the same as taro?

Malanga is similar to taro, they are from the same family, however they belong to different genus groups. Malanga belongs to the genus Xanthosoma and taro belongs to the genus Colocasia.

How can you tell malanga and taro apart?

The skin on malanga is brown and has a wiry, shaggy texture. Taro is also brown, but lighter in color and the skin is a bit smoother, less bristly. Taro also has a bulb like shape, while the malanga is long and tapers at one end.

On the inside: The flesh of the malanga is white, almost bright white. Taro’s flesh can vary between white, cream colored with purple flecks.

To make the malanga fritters you will need

• 1 pound Malanga, peeled, rinsed and grated
• 1 Egg
• 1 tablespoon Chopped Parsley
• 1 small Garlic Clove, grated or finely minced
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar (or white vinegar)
• 3 cups Canola Oil for frying, or enough oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet by ½ inch – The amount of oil will depend on the size of the pan you’re using. Use enough to cover the bottom of the skillet/pan by at least ½ inch.

You will also need

• Large, deep, non-stick skillet or pan
• Box grater
• 1 tablespoon scoop (or a tablespoon)
• Sheet pan or large platter
• Paper towels

Peel the Malanga

Unlike a potato, peeling a malanga can be a little tricky. The wiry, thick exterior doesn’t work well with a peeler.

The white flesh of malanga is very slippery too, take care when handling. Use a paper or kitchen towel to help you get a good grip if needed.

The best way to peel a malanga is like you would peel a pumpkin or butternut squash.

• First, cut the ends off, then cut it into two or three pieces (depending on its size).
• Next, stand the Malanga on the widest part. Cut off thin slices working all the way around until the peel is gone.
• Keep the peeled malanga in a bowl of cold water (just like you would with a peeled potato) to slow the browning process. Rinse the malanga with fresh cold water once you’re all done and pat dry.

Remember to keep the pieces large but manageable. We are going to use a box grater to grate the malanga so we want the pieces large enough to hold safely.

Shred the malanga

Shred the malanga using a box grater. Use the medium grating holes instead of the large ones.

Malanga is very slippery, take care while shredding. I always sacrifice a little piece on the end just to be safe.

When all the malanga is shredded, add it to a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

Prep remaining ingredients

The rest of the prep for these delicious fritters is a snap.

Use a small zester (microplane) to grate the garlic. If you don’t have a zester finely mince the garlic. Choose a small clove of garlic. Malanga has a delicate flavor and too much garlic will overpower.

Finely chop the parsley. That’s it for the prep work. The only thing left is measuring out the rest of the ingredients.

Make the malanga mixture

Add the egg, chopped parsley, grated garlic, salt and vinegar to a small bowl. Beat the ingredients well until they are combined.

Add the egg mixture to the grated malanga and stir with a fork until the ingredients are combined. The fritter mixture will have a soft, doughy consistency.

Cover the malanga mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled (15-20 minutes should do it). Give the mixture a good stir before using.

Fry the frituras de malanga

• Before you start frying, line a baking sheet or a large platter with paper towels to place the fritters after frying.
• Add enough oil to a large, deep skillet to cover the bottom by at least ½ inch of oil. For our skillet we used 3 cups of oil.
• Heat the oil over medium-high heat. We want to get the oil to around 325°F to 350°F before dropping the fritter mixture.
• Make sure the oil is not too hot or the fritters will brown quickly on the outside and won’t cook on the inside. Do a test piece, the mixture should: stay together, sizzle on the edges and float.
• Use a small scoop to drop the fritters by the tablespoon into the hot oil. If you don’t have a scoop, use a tablespoon.
• Only add a few at a time, don’t overcrowd the skillet. We added six fritters at a time into a 12 inch skillet.
• Cook the fritters for 2-3 minutes total, flipping them every 30 seconds or so until they are golden brown on both sides. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to flip them. The easiest way to flip is to use the side of the skillet for leverage.

Take the skillet off the heat and remove the fritters using a slotted spoon. Place them on the paper lined sheet pan.

Cook’s note: We want to take the skillet off the heat in between batches so that the oil does not continue rising in temperature while we get ready for the next batch.

Repeat the instructions above with the remaining malanga mixture until it’s all used up. Makes about 18 malanga fritters

If you want to add a little more malanga to your life, try one of these recipes

• Crema de Malanga – It’s a creamy soup where malanga is the star.
• Pure de Malanga – Similar to mashed potatoes but with an earthy taste.
• Cuban Ajiaco – if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, then try this ajiaco soup. Malanga is one of the many tropical vegetables that go into this amazing soup.