Kelewele
Abuja, Nigeria · View all recipes
Overview
Kelewele is Ghanaian spiced fried plantain: ripe plantain cut into cubes, tossed in a paste of ginger, chilli, garlic and spices, rested, then fried until the outside crisps and the inside stays soft. It is one of the country's best known street foods and is sold from stalls in the evening across Accra. The spicing is what distinguishes it, and it is worth being clear about this because the source is not. **Kelewele is not the same as aloco.** Aloco is the Ivorian name for plain fried ripe plantain, salted and nothing more, and the same dish is dodo in Nigeria and makemba in the Congo. Kelewele is marinated first, and the ginger and chilli are the entire reason it has its own name. Ginger, hot pepper and salt are the base, and nutmeg, garlic, onion and lemon appear in most versions. The rest matters: ten to twenty minutes lets the spice paste get into the cut faces of the plantain rather than sitting on the surface. It is eaten on its own, with roasted peanuts, or alongside rice and bean dishes, and it is sometimes described as vegetarian meat for the substance it lends a plate. Traditionally it is fried in red palm oil.
AFN Heritage Note
Kelewele is a Ghanaian street food of ripe plantain marinated in ginger, chilli and spices before frying, distinct from the plain fried plantain known as aloco in Côte d'Ivoire and dodo in Nigeria.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Cut both ends off the plantain with a sharp knife and slit a shallow line down the long seam.
- 2
Pull the peel back to remove it, cut the plantains into diagonal pieces and set aside.
- 3
Blend the onion, ginger and garlic with just enough water to help it blend, then add the chilli pepper, lemon, nutmeg, salt and seasoning cube.
- 4
In a large bowl, toss the plantain cubes with the ginger spice mixture.
- 5
Let it rest for 10 to 20 minutes to absorb the flavour.
- 6
Heat oil about 1cm deep in a large skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat, until hot but not smoking.
- 7
Fry the plantain cubes in batches, turning once, until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
- 8
Do not overcrowd the pan, which makes the plantain soggy and absorb excess oil.
- 9
Transfer to a pan lined with paper towels and serve warm.
Africook’s Notes
Personal notes from Debbie Obierika- Rest the spiced plantain for the full 10 to 20 minutes. It is what lets the marinade reach the cut faces rather than sitting on the surface.
- Use plantain that is yellow with heavy black patches. Green will not caramelise and fully black collapses in the pan.
- Do not crowd the pan. Crowded plantain steams, goes soggy and soaks up oil, which the source flags directly.
- Use as little water as possible when blending the spice paste. A wet paste slides off and spits in the oil.
- Red palm oil is the traditional frying medium and gives the colour and flavour Ghanaians expect.
- Roasted peanuts alongside are the standard street pairing, and the salt and crunch work well against the sweet spiced plantain.
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