Puré de Malanga or malanga puree is simply mashed malanga. It’s similar to mashed potatoes, but with an earthy flavor that distinctly its own.
A malanga puree is commonly served as a side dish, baby food, or as a nutritious meal for someone who is under the weather.
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 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, or boiled and topped with a drizzle of olive oil or butter.
In this recipe, we’re going to make mashed malanga and prepare it in the same way as our classic mashed potatoes.
If you want to add a little more malanga to your life, try this crema de malanga. It’s a creamy soup where malanga is the star.
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.
How to peel 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 inside 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 I’ve found is to peel the malanga like you would a butternut squash. First, cut the ends off, then cut it into two or three pieces.
Next, stand the Malanga on the widest part. Then cut off thin slices working all the way around until peel is gone. Keep the peeled malanga in a bowl of cold water. Rinse well with cold water once you’re done.
Mashed malanga ingredients
- 1½ pounds Malanga, cut into roughly 2 inch pieces. We used three medium sized malangas.
- ½ cup Milk, warmed through. Use more, if needed. Reduced fat milk or whole will work well.
- ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste, we used kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon Butter, or to taste
Prep work
Peel the malanga and cut it into roughly 2 inch pieces. Place it in a bowl with cold water. Rinse and cover the peeled malanga with cold water again reserve until ready to use.
Boil the malanga
- Drain the malanga and add them to a medium saucepan. Cover the with cold water by about an inch.
- Set the saucepan over high heat and bring the water to a boil. It should take about 10 minutes for the water to start boiling.
- Now, cook the malanga until it’s so tender that it falls apart with pierced with a fork. If you’re not sure, keep boiling. It took 15 minutes for ours to become fall-apart tender.
Mash the malanga
Drain the malanga completely. Use a strainer if necessary. Add them back to the saucepan.
I like to use this little trick to make sure the malanga is completely dry. Place the pan on the same burner you used (that is still hot but not on). Give the pan a few quick shakes and any water left in the pan and on the malanga will dry right off.
Off the heat, start adding the warm milk to the malanga. Add a little bit at a time, while mashing with a whisk or masher.
Keep mashing until it is smooth. Add more or less milk as needed, depending on the consistency you like. If you need more milk, make sure to warm it up before adding it in.
Finish the puré de malanga
Taste the mashed malanga and add salt, to taste. As a reference we added ¾ teaspoon to ours. Add butter, serve and enjoy!
Serving suggestion: Here we serve the pure de malanga with ropa vieja, which is a famous Cuban dish. It’s made with shredded beef with onions in a flavorful tomato sauce. So good!
You may also like these side dishes:
Puré de Malanga
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds Malanga peeled and cut into roughly 2 inch pieces
- ½ cup Milk warmed through
- ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 tablespoon Butter or to taste
Instructions
Prep work
- Peel the Malanga and cut it into roughly 2 inch pieces.
- Place the peeled Malanga in a bowl with cold water. Rinse and cover the peeled malanga with cold water again until ready to use.
Boil the malanga
- Drain the malanga and add them to a medium saucepan. Cover the malanga with cold water by about an inch.
- Set the saucepan over high heat and bring the water to a boil.
- Cook the malanga until it is so tender that it falls apart with pierced with a fork. Once boiling, It should take about 15 minutes for the malanga to become fall-apart tender.
Mash the malanga
- Drain the malanga completely. Use a strainer if necessary. Add them back to the saucepan.
- Off the heat, start adding the warm milk to the malanga. Add a little bit at a time, while mashing with a whisk or masher.
- Keep mashing until the malanga is smooth. Add more or less milk as needed, depending on the consistency you like. If you do need to add more milk, make sure to warm it up before adding it in.
Finish the puré de malanga
- Taste the mashed malanga and add salt, to taste.
- Add butter and serve
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