Whether you’re coming in from a long night out or trying to start your day off right, you’ll love this mangú con los tres golpes recipe. This breakfast from the Dominican Republic is savory, simple, and affordable. And the best part? It comes together super fast.

Let me show you how I made it.

 

What is Mangú?

The arguable star of this recipe is mangú: boiled and mashed green plantain. The texture is not as smooth as mashed potatoes, but it is just as (if not more) satisfying. The commonalities between the two starts with the first couple of ingredients: butter, salt, and garlic.

Where I think mangú has mashed potatoes beat is the burst of flavor that comes from adding the reserved boiling water and juice from the pickled red onions. It gives such a unique twist and it’s what makes the dish so hard to beat!

What is Tres Golpes?

Tres golpes refers to the three accompaniments to the mangú in this dish:

• Queso de freir – This cheese is special in that it does not melt when cooked. Which makes it perfect to fry with, hence the “de freir” in the name. My first impression of the queso was that it reminded me of a mozzerella stick without the iconic cheese pull, which I’ll never mind for breakfast.
• Dominican salami – Traditionally, fried Dominican salami is a staple in tres golpes. It gives a nice salty dimension to the whole plate and adds flavor to the oil used to cook the remaining golpes. Unfortunately, I had to improvise here since I do not eat pork (I subbed for turkey sausage), but I hope I did the dish justice nonetheless.
• Eggs – From many of the tres golpes recipes I’ve come across, fried eggs are the usual method of choice. In all honesty, any method you prefer is the right way to go about it. I decided to scramble my eggs, you do you!

Why You’ll Love Tres Golpes

• The ingredients are affordable – All in, I couldn’t have spent more than $20 on the ingredients for this dish. It’s a lifesaver when you’re trying to save a couple bucks on your grocery bill, which is always a great thing.
• Everything complements each other – It’s seriously difficult for me to pick my favorite part of this dish. All of its components come together to form something amazing. Even down to the pickled onions and avocado, every part is, in my eyes, essential to getting the best out of the recipe
• High protein content of the tres golpes – For those of us looking to see some changes in the way we look, mangú con los tres golpes should definitely be on our menu. The combined protein content of the the golpes helps me get closer to my daily intake goals and, with some tweaks, you can make an even healthier version of the dish if the amount of oil traditionally used puts you off.
• How iconic it is in Dominican cuisine – If you are just like me and love exploring different cultures, you understand that food is one of the first things to explore. Whenever I see people reach out to the Dominican community, one of the first things they’ll tell you to try is Tres Golpes, so why not make it to form a deeper connection?

Ingredients

Mangú 

• Unripe, green plantain
• Butter
• Garlic
• Salt
• Reserved boiling water
• Pickled onion brine

Queso Frito

• Queso para freir
• Cornstarch

Turkey Sausage

• Smoked turkey sausage

Scrambled Eggs

• Eggs
• Heavy cream
• Salt
• Pepper

Pickled Onions

• Red onion
• White vinegar
• Water
• Salt
• Sugar

Steps

Pickling Red Onions

Making pickled onions is step zero for making mangú since you’ll be using the brine to mash the plantain. You have the option of making them ahead of time or right before you start. The longer the better but each time I’ve made a quick pickled onion, I was never disappointed. As with everything else in the recipe, the onions do not take long to make but bring so much.

The brine is a simple 1:1 solution of vinegar and water, with a 1:1 ratio of salt to sugar. If you desire you can add additional spices but I wanted to keep mine basic to keep it at a minimum.

The process for making pickled onions is as follows:

1. Bring your vinegar and water to a simmer, add sugar and salt then dissolve
2. Cut your onion into slices and separate
3. Add onions to a container
4. Add brine to container and mix
5. Let cool and store until ready to use

Making Mangú

The mangu will be the most time-consuming part of this whole recipe but it’s very worth it.

First off, you’ll want to peel and chop your plantain. I like to keep my starches resting in as cold as water as possible, which is why I decided to add ice to my bowl. After they’re all chopped, add the plantain to a pot with your garlic, add a generous amount of salt, then bring to a boil.You’ll know the plantain is ready once it’s fork tender.

Once tender, add the plantain back to a bowl with the garlic and reserve the boiling water. Using a potato masher, start to mash the plantain, adding the water in slow increments. When you’re close to the consistency you want, add the butter and continue to mash.

After you reach your desired consistency, add the pickled onion brine, mix, and set aside.

Frying Turkey Sausage

Making the turkey sausage is straightforward, with the only steps being to slice your sausage and cooking it over a medium high heat in a neutral oil until you reach your desired doneness. Whenever I cook smoked sausage, I like to have the outer casing thoroughly cooked so you’ll see I have some color on mine.

Frying Queso de Freir

For frying the queso, you’ll need to coat it in a starch before you add it to the oil. I decided to go with cornstarch but you can use flour or any other starch that meets your dietary needs. Once coated, go ahead and add it to the oil and fry on a medium heat until each side is light to golden brown.

 

Scrambling Eggs

My method for making scrambled eggs is pretty simple. I whisk eggs with heavy cream then cook them on a medium high heat, whisking frequently. Once they’re done to my liking I season with salt and pepper.

Usually I cook my eggs last while everything else stays warm so everything’s nice and hot once it’s ready to serve.

 

Notes

• Add more water than you think you need for boiling the plantain, the reserved water is key to achieving the consistency you want for mangú
• Use the oven or air fryer to keep the non-egg golpes warm. I’m not too big on using microwaves for fried food so I recommend setting your appliance to 200 degrees fahrenheit and leaving them in until you’re ready to serve
• If you’re trying to be calorie-conscious, consider using less oil or air frying altogether