Kelewele

Kelewele (Ghanaian Spiced Fried Plantain)

A beloved Ghanaian street-food snack of ripe plantain cubes seasoned with ginger, chilli and warm spices, then deep-fried until crisp-edged, caramelised and fragrant.

Prep

15 min

Cook

12 min

Total

27 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) ripe plantains, skin should be yellow with large black patches; not green
• •15 g (about 1 tbsp) fresh ginger, finely grated
• •1 whole Scotch bonnet or habanero chilli, finely minced, seeds in for heat, out for mild
• •1 g (¼ tsp) ground nutmeg, freshly grated if possible
• •2 g (½ tsp) fine sea salt
• •500 ml (2 cups) neutral cooking oil, groundnut or sunflower, for deep-frying; home-stovetop deep-frying in a heavy pot is the practical substitute for a street-side fryer

Steps

1. 1 Peel the plantains (slit the skin lengthwise and pull it back; very ripe ones come away easily). Cut into roughly 2.5 cm / 1 inch cubes.
2. 2 In a large bowl, toss the plantain cubes with the grated ginger, minced chilli, nutmeg and salt. Massage the spices in with your hands so every cube is coated. Rest 5–10 minutes.
3. 3 Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pot to 175 °C / 350 °F (a cube of bread should sizzle and brown in about 60 seconds).
4. 4 Working in batches so the oil temperature does not drop below 165 °C / 330 °F, carefully lower the plantain cubes into the oil.
5. 5 Fry for 3–4 minutes, stirring gently, until deep golden-brown with darker, crisped edges. The plantains should feel light and look caramelised, not soft and pale.
6. 6 Lift out with a slotted spoon or spider and drain on a wire rack (not paper towels, which make the edges soggy).
7. 7 Serve immediately, on its own as a snack or alongside peanuts, grilled meat or kebabs.