Colombian Plantain and Eggplant Mash (Boronía)

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.

Jump to Recipe

Haz clic en Boronía (Puré de Plátano Maduro y Berenjenas) para la receta en español.

White bowl with mashed plantain and eggplant (boronia) topped with tomato-onion sauce and in the background a yellow napkin with a wooden spoon

Colombian Plantain and Eggplant Mash (Boronía)

Boronía is a side dish that is typically eaten in the Caribbean region of Colombia. It is influenced by Spanish and North African cuisine. The main ingredients are ripe plantain and eggplants. Extra flavor is added by mixing in a cooked and spiced tomato-onion sauce (called hogao or guiso). This veggie mash is sweet-ish because of the ripe plantain, but also hearty because of the eggplant and tomato-onion sauce. It is traditionally served as a side dish to meat or fish.

Ingredients

Ripe plantain, eggplants, scallions, tomatoes, garlic and cumin on a wooden board

Plantain It is important to use ripe plantain: yellow going black. In Colombia and most parts of South America you can find plantains everywhere. In the US and Europe they sell them in some larger supermarkets. You could also find them in Latin-American and often Asian supermarkets.

Instructions

6 pictures with the instructions and steps how to cook plantain and eggplant mash (boronia)

1. Cook chunks of ripe plantain in water. 2. At the same time, cook chopped eggplant in water and salt. 3. Prepare the tomato-onion sauce in the meantime. 4. Drain plantain and eggplant and mash with a fork. 5. Check and season tomato-onion sauce. 6. Mix in half of the tomato-onion sauce and season.

Read:   Guava Paste Recipe (Colombian Bocadillo)
White bowl with plantain and eggplant mash topped with tomato onion sauce, on a textured background

Serving suggestions for Boronía

This mashed plantain and eggplant is a side dish. Serve warm with grilled vegetables and a salad. Or with a plant-based hamburger and a salad.

You could also serve this mash as an appetizer or snack, for example, a cold dip with toasted bread, crackers, or some raw veggies. A variation to this recipe would be to add shredded (plant-based) cheese, similar to the traditional recipe.

Up close white bowl with the boronia and a wooden spoon

You might also like:

Do you love this recipe? Give it a 5-star rating below and leave me a comment! Or tag @vecinavegetariana on Instagram. You can also pin this recipe now and make it later!

Do you love Colombian food? Click here for more recipes of Colombian vegetarian food!

Bowl with plantain and eggplant mash, topped with tomato onion sauce

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.
No ratings yet
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Colombian
Servings 6

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

Tomato-Onion Sauce

  • 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
 

Cook plantain and eggplant

  • Place 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).

Tomato-Onion Sauce

  • In 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.

Finish mash

  • Check 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.

Notes

The ratio plantain-eggplant is important. Adding too much plantain will make the mash overly sweet. You want about 1/4-1/3 more eggplant in comparison to plantain. 
Keyword appetizer, boronia, easy side dish, empanadas veganas, frijoles vegetarianos, gluten-free, mashed plantain, mashed plantain and eggplant, mashed vegetables, snack
Do you love this recipe?Give it a 5-star rating and leave me a comment! Or tag @vecinavegetariana on Instagram. You can also pin this recipe now and make it later!


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating