Kelewele

Storing and Planning Ahead

Best immediately. Recrisp leftovers at 200°C / 392°F fan for 6 minutes.

Making Kelewele

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1. Peel the plantains and cut them into 2 cm cubes, or on the diagonal into thick slices.

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2. Mix the ginger, scotch bonnet, onion, cloves, anise, nutmeg, cayenne, salt and water into a wet paste.

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3. Fold the plantain through the paste until every piece is coated, and leave 20 minutes.

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4. Heat the oil to 175°C / 345°F in a deep pan.

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5. Fry in three batches, giving the pieces room, for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until deep brown and caramelised at the edges. They should look almost too dark.

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6. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on a rack, not on paper.

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7. Sprinkle with flaky salt while still hot.

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8. Serve immediately with roasted peanuts, on their own or alongside rice and beans.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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A Few Pointers

• Black-skinned plantain only. Yellow ones will not caramelise.
• A wet paste, not a dry rub. It stays on in the oil.
• Take them darker than feels safe. That is where the flavour is.

Some Background

The plantain must be properly ripe — black-skinned, not yellow — because its sugar is what caramelises in the oil into the almost-burnt edges the dish is about. Marinating in a wet spice paste rather than a dry rub means the seasoning sticks through the frying instead of falling to the bottom of the pot.

Serving Ideas

Roasted peanuts · Waakye or rice and beans · A cold malt drink

Ingredient Swaps

• If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.

Questions About Kelewele

Kelewele Nutrition

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.

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