Kelewele
Cubes of very ripe plantain marinated in ginger and chilli, then fried until the edges turn dark and caramelised.
Photo : Edithobayaa1 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Method
- Pick plantains whose skin has turned black in patches. Flesh that still holds its shape falls apart in the oil.
- Peel the plantains and cut them into 3 cm cubes. Angle the knife to create more faces that can brown.
- Mix the ginger, garlic, cayenne, aniseed, nutmeg, salt and water in a large bowl.
- Tip in the cubes and turn them by hand. Leave to sit for 15 minutes at room temperature.
- Heat 4 cm of oil to 175°C. Drain the cubes on kitchen paper before lowering them into the oil.
- Fry in small batches for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until the edges darken.
- Drain on kitchen paper and salt while hot. Serve with roasted peanuts.
The ginger does the work. Grated fine, it gives up enough juice to coat every cube without soaking the flesh, which can then caramelise in the oil.
