Colombian Plantain and Eggplant Mash (Boronía)

Boronía is a Colombian side-dish, originally from the Caribbean coast. It consists of mashed ripe plantain and eggplant, and is flavored with a tomato-onion sauce. Lightly sweet and hearty at the same time, these mashed vegetables are a great alternative side dish. The recipe is vegan and gluten-free.

📝 Ingredients

• 2 ripe plantains, peeled and cut into 8 pieces each ((approx. 460 gram after peeling))
• 4 eggplants, peeled and chopped into chunks ((approx. 600 g after peeling))
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 scallions, chopped finely
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 6 ripe tomatoes, grated
• salt and pepper

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- Cook plantain and eggplant ---
2. 2Place pieces of plantain in a pot with water, bring to a boil, turn low and let cook until soft (10-15 minutes). At the same time, cook the chunks of eggplant in water and salt until soft (15 minutes).
3. 3--- Tomato-Onion Sauce ---
4. 4In the meantime, prepare the tomato-onion sauce:In a medium-sized pan, cook onion and garlic on a low heat in oil until soft (5 minutes). Add cumin and cook for an additional 2 minutes until fragrant. Add grated tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, and let simmer for about 20 minutes, until the sauce has a darker red color and lost some of its liquid.
5. 5--- Finish mash ---
6. 6Check if the eggplant and plantain are cooked, drain and mash with a fork. The mash shouldn't be completely smooth. Adjust seasoning of the tomato-onion sauce if necessary. Add half of the sauce to the mashed vegetables and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve while warm with a teaspoon of tomato-onion sauce on top.