Bolón de verde
Ecuadorian coastal breakfast: green plantain mashed with cheese and crisp pork, shaped into fist-sized balls and fried.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 1 hr
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
A bolón is a ball of green plantain the size of a fist. The plantain is fried or boiled until tender, pounded while hot with salt and a little of the frying fat, then worked around crumbled cheese, crisp pork or both (the mixto), and fried again until the outside is crunchy and the inside is dense and steaming. It is chewy, salty and heavy in a way that suits a long morning. In Guayaquil it comes with a fried egg and black coffee. The plantain must be hard-green; anything yellowing turns sweet and soft. Eight bolones from four plantains, an hour of work.
What you'll need
9 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Plantain, hard green, peeled and cut in 3 cm rounds4 large
- Queso fresco, crumbled; or grated mozzarella150 g
- Pork, belly, small cubes, fried crisp and chopped200 g
- Neutral oil, for frying500 ml
- Onion, finely chopped½ medium
- Garlic, minced2 clove
- Achiote, ground (optional)2½ ml
- Salt7.4 ml
- Egg, fried, to serve (optional)4 large
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Fry the pork belly cubes in a dry pan over medium heat until rendered and crisp, 20 minutes. Lift out and chop small. In a spoon of the pork fat soften the onion, garlic and achiote for 3 minutes.
25 min
Step 2
Heat the oil to 170°C in a deep pan and fry the plantain rounds until tender inside and pale gold, 8-10 minutes. They should give easily to a fork. Drain.
12 min170°C
Step 3
While hot, pound the plantain in a mortar or mash hard in a bowl with the salt and the onion mixture until it holds together as a rough, slightly sticky dough. A few lumps are fine.
8 min
Watch: Work while it is hot. Cold plantain will not come together.
Step 4
Oil your hands. Divide into 8, flatten each, fill with cheese and chopped pork, close and squeeze firmly into a tight ball.
10 min
Tip: Squeeze harder than feels polite. Loose bolones split in the fryer.
Step 5
Reheat the oil to 180°C and fry the bolones 3-4 minutes until the outside is deep golden and crunchy. Drain and serve hot, with a fried egg and coffee.
10 min180°C
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 374 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 35.2 g
- Fat
- 22.2 g
- Saturated fat
- 3.8 g
- Fibre
- 2.7 g
- Sugar
- 16 g
- Sodium
- 398 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Milk
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 13 November.
Substitutions
Pork → Nothing; bolón de queso
The cheese-only bolón is a standard order and the vegetarian one.
Tips
- Peel green plantain by scoring the skin lengthways with a knife and prising it off; it will not peel like a banana.
- Shaped bolones keep in the fridge overnight. Fry them straight from cold and add a minute.
History & culture
Breakfast on the coast, above all in Manabí and Guayaquil, from huecas and market stalls from six in the morning. Also a late-night plate after a party. A bolón with coffee is the coastal equivalent of the highland locro: everyday, cheap, and defended fiercely. Manabí adds peanut; Esmeraldas makes it with coconut.
Plantain reached the Pacific coast of South America in the colonial period from Africa by way of the Caribbean, and Manabí became plantain country. Mashed green plantain dishes exist throughout the Afro-Caribbean world (mofongo is a cousin). The cheese-and-chicharrón bolón is the twentieth-century Ecuadorian form.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Bolón de verde take?
1 hr all in — 20 min prep, 40 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 8 pieces. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Gluten-free, Nut-free.
8 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Frying pan, Mortar and pestle, Spider or strainer.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1½ tsp.
What can I use instead?
Pork → Nothing; bolón de queso. The cheese-only bolón is a standard order and the vegetarian one.
What should I watch for?
Work while it is hot. Cold plantain will not come together.
Any tips from this recipe?
Peel green plantain by scoring the skin lengthways with a knife and prising it off; it will not peel like a banana. Shaped bolones keep in the fridge overnight. Fry them straight from cold and add a minute.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Shaped bolones keep in the fridge overnight. Fry them straight from cold and add a minute. Reheat the oil to 180°C and fry the bolones 3-4 minutes until the outside is deep golden and crunchy. Drain and serve hot, with a fried egg and coffee.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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