I love plantains and I have made a lot of different foods with it. I can eat plantain raw, that is how bad my obsession with plantains is. I got this idea of trying Kelewele from Aunty Kemi. If you know me, you know Aunty Kemi. She is an amazing person, supportive and gives really loving advice. I always tell her friends that “she is mine.” So recently on her facebook group “So you think you can cook,” a lady posted a picture of Kelewele. Kelewele is a popular Ghanaian street snack made with plantains seasoned with spices; dry chili peppers and salt being the most common ingredient used. Kelewele can be served with peanuts, stew, or rice. I never salt my plantains, but I did with this dish and man, the way the salt married the other ingredients was amaze balls.
Another ingredient I used was ehuru(African nut meg); which is optional. I have an explanation for this. I was having a conversation with Aunty Kemi and she had mentioned having some kelewele powder, so I asked her to read the ingredients to me. Apart from pepper, salt, and ginger, she mentioned African nutmeg…So without thinking I roasted and added just a little and it just worked. I promise you, it worked. These plantains can also be roasted or grilled t fit your diet
Without too much stories, let me get to it.
- 2 medium to large plantains(medium ripened, not too soft)
- 4 roasted ehuru seeds(optional)
- ½ an inch of fresh ginger(crushed into a paste. you could use ginger powder. about 1-1½ tsp)
- 1tbsp dry chili flakes or you could use habanero(ata-rodo)
- oil for frying
- A pinch of salt
- Roast and grind ehuru seeds until fluffy
- peel and cut your plantains into bite sized pieces.
- heat a deep frying pan with some sunflower oil
- season your plantains with all the ingredients and fry until golden brown
- let plantain rest before serving
