Recipe(tried): Mofongo (Green Plantain Balls)

This is a somewhat nouvelle version of our Mofongo:

Mofongo (Green Plantain Balls)

5 green plantains
1 tbsp salt
6 to 8 cups of water
5 slices cooked ham
10 to 15 garlic cloves (or to taste)
1 cup olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
Cooking Oil

Procedure for cooking approximately 10 balls of "Mofongo":

Place 1/4 cup of cooking oil on frying pan. Turn heat to medium. Fry cooked ham slice until it is golden brown on both sides. Remove cooked ham slice from frying pan and place on plate with paper towel to soak the oil away from ham.

Repeat the previous two steps with the rest of the ham slices until all cooked ham slices are golden brown. Turn off stove. Cut ham slices into little squares and place in a bowl.

Peel the plantains and cut them into 1/2-inch slices. Place the plantain slices in a bowl with water and salt for 20 minutes. Make sure that you cover all plantain slices with water.

Grind garlic in Mortar. Place grinded garlic and olive oil in a bowl and mix.

Pour cooking oil on fry pan. The oil should cover the bottom of the fry pan (3/4 to 1-inch depth). Turn heat to medium high. When the oil gets hot, reduce heat to medium.

Fry plantain slices in the oil. When the plantain slices turn golden brown, turn them over to get the same color on the other side. Remove plantain slices and place on a plate with paper towel to drain the oil.

Place 5-6 plantain slices inside Mortar. Add 1 tbsp of the mix of olive oil and garlic. Add 1 tbsp of Chicken Broth. Add one tenth (1/10) of the total quantity of cooked ham. Using the pestle, grind and press firmly the plantain slices in Mortar until they are broken down well and a mass forms with the consistency of paste.

If you do not achieve that consistency, add 1/2 tsp of the mix of olive oil and garlic and 1/2 tsp of Chicken Broth. Grind and press again the mass.

Remove the mass of "Mofongo" from Mortar and form the "Mofongo" ball with you hands. Repeat the above six steps to make the remaining "Mofongo" balls.