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Bole (roasted plantain with pepper sauce)
Bole: Port Harcourt's charcoal-roasted plantain and yam with a palm-oil pepper sauce and groundnuts
Roadside grills all over Port Harcourt send up smoke from bole, the city's beloved street food, and the Rivers State capital even holds a festival in its honour. Plantains and pieces of yam are roasted over charcoal until the skins blacken and the flesh turns smoky, sweet and creamy, then split and served with a spicy palm-oil pepper sauce. The full version comes with grilled fish; this meat-free way pairs it with a handful of roasted groundnuts, which is also how many people snack on it at the roadside. A gas flame, barbecue or a very hot oven all work at home. Chef's tip: choose plantains that are just yellow and still firm; very ripe ones turn mushy and burn before the inside cooks, the commonest bole mistake.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the roast
- 4 just-ripe plantainsyellow and firm, peeled
- 1 ⅛ lb white yam (optional)peeled and cut into 3 cm thick slices
- 5 ½ oz roasted peanutsunsalted or lightly salted
For the pepper sauce
- ½ cup red palm oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 2 scotch bonnet chilliesfinely chopped
- 1 red bell pepperfinely chopped
- 1 vegetable stock cubecrumbled
- ½ tsp salt
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Light a charcoal grill and wait for the coals to turn ash-grey, or heat a gas grill to medium. (An oven at 450°F works too.)
20 minStep 2: Lay 4 just-ripe plantains and 1 ⅛ lb white yam on the grill. Roast, turning every few minutes, for 25–30 minutes until the outside is charred in patches and a knife slides easily into the centre. Yam slices take a few minutes longer than plantain.
30 minStep 3: Meanwhile, warm ½ cup red palm oil in a small pan over a medium-low heat. Add 1 onion, 2 scotch bonnet chillies and 1 red bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes until softened.
5 minStep 4: Stir in 1 vegetable stock cube and ½ tsp salt and cook for 2 more minutes, until fragrant and the onions are glossy. Take off the heat.
2 minStep 5: Split the roasted plantain and yam lengthwise, spoon the pepper sauce over and serve hot with 5 ½ oz roasted peanuts on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 600 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 70 g
- Fat
- 33 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bole (roasted plantain with pepper sauce) take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 35 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 onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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