Patacones con Hogao - A Taste of Colombia

A journey into the kitchens of Colombia, exploring the history of plantains, the vibrant tomato and onion sauce known as hogao, and the crispy patacones that have become a beloved staple from street stalls to family tables across the country.

Patacones con Hogao

Some dishes build nations more quietly than kings ever could. They don’t command armies or redraw borders. Instead, they sit on wooden tables, passed from hand to hand until they become part of everyday life. Patacones con hogao is one of those dishes.

If you want to understand Colombia, you can start with its landscapes—Andean mountains, Caribbean coasts, dense jungles. You can study its colonial history or its long, complicated political struggles. But sooner or later, you end up in the kitchen.

And very often, that kitchen smells like frying plantains.

Colombia sits at the meeting point of several food worlds. Indigenous cultures cultivated maize, cassava, and peppers long before Europeans arrived. Spanish colonists brought livestock, onions, garlic, and new cooking methods. Enslaved Africans carried culinary traditions that shaped the way ingredients were fried, seasoned, and combined. Over centuries these influences blended into a cuisine that feels both deeply local and unmistakably global.

Few ingredients represent that blending better than the plantain.

Plantains arrived in the Americas with the Spanish during the colonial period, originally from West Africa and Southeast Asia. They adapted easily to tropical climates, and before long they became a staple across the Caribbean and northern South America. In Colombia they were embraced quickly, especially in coastal and lowland regions where they grow abundantly.

Unlike bananas, plantains are rarely eaten raw. They are meant to be cooked—fried, boiled, mashed, roasted, or turned into thick soups and stews. Green plantains in particular became the foundation for one of the most beloved foods in the region.

Patacones.

The preparation is simple and ingenious. Thick slices of green plantain are fried once to soften them, then smashed flat and fried again until crisp. The result is something halfway between bread and potato: crunchy on the outside, soft inside, and sturdy enough to carry toppings or sauces.

Across Colombia, patacones appear everywhere. Street vendors sell them hot from oil-slicked pans. Families serve them beside grilled meats or seafood. In coastal towns they arrive piled high with shrimp, avocado, or shredded chicken. They are not fancy food, but they are essential food.

And then there is hogao.

If patacones are the structure of the dish, hogao is the soul. Hogao is one of Colombia’s most fundamental sauces, built from slow-cooked tomatoes, onions, garlic, and scallions simmered together with oil and spices until they collapse into something rich and fragrant.

It’s spooned over eggs, meats, rice, and arepas, but it pairs especially well with the crisp edges of fried plantains.

The flavor is bright and savory at the same time—sweet tomatoes, softened onions, and the gentle bite of garlic. It’s the kind of sauce that feels humble but somehow manages to make everything around it taste better.

Together, patacones and hogao form a dish that perfectly reflects Colombian cooking: simple ingredients, bold flavors, and techniques passed down through generations rather than written down in cookbooks.

You can find versions of fried plantains across the Caribbean and Latin America—tostones in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, for example—but in Colombia the combination with hogao feels uniquely at home. It’s the kind of plate that appears at family tables, roadside eateries, and bustling markets alike.

And that’s part of its power.

Because unlike the foods of kings or royal courts, dishes like this belong to everyone. They are cooked by street vendors, grandmothers, and restaurant chefs alike. They don’t require wealth or ceremony—just a few ingredients, hot oil, and a good pan.

Legends tend to focus on great figures and dramatic events. But the real story of a country is often written somewhere quieter.

In kitchens.

In markets.

In the sound of plantains sizzling in hot oil.

And in the moment someone sets a plate of patacones con hogao on the table, proving once again that the most enduring traditions aren’t built with stone or steel.

They’re built with food.

Patacones Con Hogao Recipe

Prep time 20 minutes | Cook time 1 hour | Serves 4

Ingredients

For the patacones

• 2–3 green plantains (very firm and unripe)

• Vegetable oil for frying

• Salt

For the hogao

• 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 green onions (scallions), finely sliced

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• Salt to taste

• Black pepper to taste

• cilantro to finish

Instructions

1. Prepare the hogao first. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat.

2. Add the chopped onion and cook for about 3–4 minutes until softened.

3. Add the garlic and green onions and cook for another minute until fragrant.

4. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, cumin, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cook slowly for about 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and the tomatoes break down into a rich sauce. Finish with cilantro. Set aside and keep warm.

5. Peel the plantains. Cut off both ends, score the peel lengthwise, and remove the skin. Slice the plantains into thick pieces about 1–1½ inches long.

6. Heat about 1 inch of oil in a frying pan over medium heat.

7. Fry the plantain pieces for about 3–4 minutes until they begin to soften and turn lightly golden but are not yet crispy.

8. Remove them from the oil and place them on a board. Using the bottom of a glass, a plate, or a patacón press, flatten each piece into a thick disk about ¼–½ inch thick.

9. Return the flattened plantains to the hot oil and fry again for about 2–3 minutes per side until crisp and golden.

10. Remove from the oil and sprinkle lightly with salt.

Serve the patacones warm with spoonfuls of hogao over the top or on the side for dipping. The crispy plantains and the rich tomato sauce together create one of the most classic and satisfying combinations in Colombian cooking.

If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Pinterest – seeing your creations always makes my day. Let's explore international cuisine together!