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Kelewele
Accra's night-market plantain cubes fried with ginger, chilli and warm spices
Kelewele is what Accra smells like after dark: ripe plantain cubes tossed in a paste of ginger, onion, chilli and spice, then fried at roadside stalls lit by lamps and sold in paper cones. It is eaten as an evening snack, often with a handful of roasted peanuts, or as a side with red red. The outside caramelises while the spices turn toasty, so every piece is sweet, hot and spicy at once. Chef's tip: use plantains that are yellow with lots of black spots; fully black ones collapse in the oil and green ones never turn sweet.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Pound or blend 1 oz fresh ginger, ½ small onion and 1 scotch bonnet or bird's eye chilli with 1 tbsp water to a fine paste. Stir in ¼ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp grated nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground aniseed and ¾ tsp salt.
Step 2: Toss 3 ripe plantains (yellow with black spots) in the paste until every cube is coated, and leave for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 3: Heat 2 cups vegetable oil in a deep frying pan over a medium-high heat to 350°F. Fry the plantain in batches, turning, until deep golden brown and blistered at the edges.
5 minStep 4: A common mistake is crowding the pan; the oil cools, the plantain stews and it comes out pale and greasy.
Step 5: Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with 3 ½ oz roasted peanuts.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kelewele take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of small onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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