Sweet, spicy and sticky at the edges
Kelewele is Ghana's favourite street snack: ripe plantain soaked in a fresh ginger, chilli and garlic paste, seasoned with warm spice and fried until the edges go dark and caramelised. You'll find it sold hot by the roadside in the evening, and it disappears just as fast at home. My version finishes it with crushed pistachios for crunch. Eat it on its own, or serve it next to grilled chicken and a plate of jollof.
Serves 4 · Prep 15 mins · Cook 20 mins
Ingredients
3 ripe plantains, yellow with black spots, peeled and cut into even cubes
1 medium onion
1 scotch bonnet, more or less to taste
A thumb of fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Sea salt and coarse black pepper
Oil for frying (vegetable, groundnut or avocado)
A handful of shelled pistachios, crushed, to finish
Method
Blend the onion, scotch bonnet, ginger and garlic into a smooth paste.
Toss the plantain cubes in the paste, then add the cloves, cinnamon, salt and pepper and mix until every piece is coated.
Heat the oil over a medium high heat. Test it with one piece of plantain: it should sizzle straight away.
Fry in batches for 5 to 7 minutes, turning, until golden with dark, sticky edges. Don't crowd the pan or they'll steam instead of crisp.
Drain on kitchen paper and scatter over the crushed pistachios while they're still hot.
Tips from my kitchen
Ripe plantain is everything. The blacker the skin, the sweeter the kelewele.
Want it milder? Use half the scotch bonnet and add a pinch of smoked paprika for colour.
For the traditional way, swap the pistachios for roasted peanuts on the side.