~569 cal · 16g protein · 44g carbs · 38g fat (estimated, per serving)
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Golden mashed plantain ball with melting cheese
🇪🇨 Pichincha (Andes)
On Ecuador's coast and beyond, breakfast means a bolón: green plantains fried, then mashed and packed around a nugget of cheese (or crackling) and shaped into a fist-sized ball. Crisp outside and steamy within, it's served with a fried egg and coffee to power the morning.
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Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
Ingredients
Serves 4 —
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3 green plantains
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1 cup fresh cheese (queso fresco), crumbled
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1/3 cup neutral oil
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to taste salt
Instructions
1
Peel the green plantains and cut into chunks, then fry in oil until golden and just tender, about 8 minutes.
2
Mash the hot plantain with a little salt and a spoon of the frying oil until it holds together.
3
Take a portion, press a well, fill with cheese, and mold the mash around it into a ball.
4
Pan-crisp the balls on all sides until golden and the cheese softens; serve hot with a fried egg and coffee.
Ecuadorian coastal home breakfast.
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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
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Pichincha (Andes). Quito’s highlands, where potatoes meet peanut sauce.
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Ecuador. Andean markets and equatorial abundance.
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South America. Andes, Amazon, and Atlantic all on one plate.
The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.
👩🍳
Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker
Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →
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