Alloco

Name: Alloco
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Ivory Coast
Ingredients: 4 very ripe plantains; 500 ml red palm or groundnut oil; 1 large onion; 1 firm tomato; 1 scotch bonnet chilli; 1 tsp salt; 1 tbsp lemon juice

Very ripe plantain fried in red palm oil, served with a raw onion and chilli sauce pounded in a mortar.

Published on 27 April 2026·Updated on 10 September 2026

VeganGluten-free#plantain#fried#chilli#onion#abidjan

AI-generated image, not a photograph of the dish

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 30 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Easy

Method

Pick plantains with blackened skins that give under your thumb. Peel them and cut on the diagonal into 2 cm pieces.
Salt the pieces and leave them for 10 minutes, then blot away the moisture that beads on the surface.
Dice the onion and tomato small. Pound the chilli with the salt, then stir it through the onion, tomato and lemon juice.
Heat the oil to 175C in a deep pan. Fry the plantain in small batches for 4 minutes a side.
Lift them out once the edges are brown and the centres soft. Drain on a rack rather than paper.
Serve straight away with the raw sauce alongside, adding rice to make it a full meal.

Ripeness does the work here. A yellow skin blotched with black means the starch has turned to sugar, which is what caramelises the edges in hot oil. A green plantain stays mealy and dry, fine for foutou but wrong for this.

The techniques this recipe uses

Drain and rinse
Canning liquid clouds a sauce and salts it blind: rinse until the water runs clear.

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Nutrition per serving

Calories: 368 kcal
Protein: 3.3 g
Fat: 12.3 g
Carbohydrate: 68.9 g
Fibre: 4.4 g

An estimate computed from the recipe quantities and the USDA food composition database. Real values vary with the products used.

Frequently asked questions

Why do my plantains brown before the middle turns soft?

The oil is too hot. Ripe plantain is full of sugar, which colours the surface fast while the centre is still firm. Hold the oil at 175°C, keep the pieces about 2 cm thick, and lift them out as soon as the edges are brown.

What does salting before frying achieve?

The salt draws water near the surface into beads that you then blot away. A drier piece spits less in the oil and browns more evenly. Ten minutes is enough; leave it longer and the plantain starts to go limp.

Do I have to use red palm oil?

No, groundnut oil does the same job perfectly well. Dendê mainly contributes its orange colour and particular aroma; if you do use it, do not push it past the stated temperature, as it smokes sooner than a neutral oil.

Chilli peppers, from mild to Scotch Bonnet
How Caribbean and African cuisines harness the perfume and heat of Scotch Bonnet, and how others pair chilli with palm sugar, tamarind or pomegranate.

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