Mofongo on Long Island: 4 picks for the plantain dish

Said to have originated in Africa before arriving in the Caribbean, mofongo is a fried mashed plantain dish.

Most often, starchy fried plantains, garlic, broth and pork cracklings are pounded together in a mortar called a pilon. Meat is frequently part of the mix; a sauce is served alongside.

Here are four Long Island places that do the tradition proud.

At this big, bustling Latin chain restaurant, shrimp mofongo features mashed plantains and garlic, plated with plenty of nicely cooked shellfish in a hyper-garlicky red sauce.

At this no-frills Dominican spot, the mofongo is molded into a tall cylinder. You can get it done with shrimp -- a profusion of succulent shellfish -- in a rich and garlicky sauce. 

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Recently reborn and refurbished, this Latin-Cuban restaurant offers a fine Caribbean mofongo topped with ropa vieja, softly stewed beef with tomatoes, onions and peppers. True comfort food. 

Made with skill and care, one of several mofongo variations the garlicky fried plantains are mashed and mixed with boneless pieces of stewed chicken and molded into a cylinder before being plated. The moist, loose-textured mixture is served with stew gravy on the side.