Kelewele (Ghanaian spiced fried plantain)

Recipe No.: W-79

InternationalGhanaian30 minServes 4

At sunset in Ghanaian cities, the street fills with the smell of ginger and chilli from the kelewele sellers' stalls. Ripe plantain is cut into cubes, seasoned with ginger, hot pepper and onion, then fried until the edges caramelise, so one bite holds the sweetness of the plantain and the bite of the spices. It is eaten on its own with roasted peanuts or alongside waakye and other dishes. It is different from plain fried plantain, known as "dodo" in Nigeria: the spices are the secret of kelewele.

Origin of the dish: Ghana — A popular street snack across Ghana, often sold in the evening

Photo: “Kelewele” in Ghana.jpg by Edithobayaa1, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Ingredients for Kelewele

• 3ripe plantains (yellow with black spots)
• 1 tbspfreshly grated ginger
• ½small onion, grated
• 1 tspground hot chilli (cayenne)
• ¼ tspground cloves
• ½ tspsalt
• 2 tbspwater
• vegetable or palm oil for frying
• To serveroasted peanuts

Method

1. Peel the plantains and cut them into 2 cm cubes.
2. Mix the ginger, onion, chilli, cloves, salt and water in a bowl, toss the plantain in it until coated, and leave for 15 minutes.
3. Heat the oil to 170–180°C, deep enough to cover the cubes.
4. Fry the plantain in batches for 3–4 minutes until deep golden and caramelised at the edges.
5. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with roasted peanuts.

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