Kelewele (pronounced k-lay-way-lay) is very popular in my country. It consists of spicy fried plantain bits and is such a good snack. It is served on newspaper clippings and usually served with roasted peanuts. To make good kelewele, ripe plantain is chopped into small bits then coated in a myriad of spices from nutmeg to cayenne pepper. Then it is fried until crispy but still soft on the inside. It is a top tier snack in my books.
If you don’t know what plantain is, it resembles large bananas. But unlike bananas, it cannot be eaten raw. It has to be cooked prior-so it is boiled, baked or fried. It is very sweet when ripe and can be served as a side, main dish or snack such as this kelewele. I used ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and salt to season the plantain. It may sound like overkill but this is necessary to get the authentic spicy plantain vibe. It won’t be too salty don’t worry.
The key is to fry the plantain in batches so they don’t touch. If they touch they stick together and become a sticky but delicious mass of plantain. You want your kelewele to feel like crispy pieces in your hand. This recipe includes an optional peanut soy dipping sauce so enjoy!
Looking for another plantain recipe? Check out my plantain and beans recipe too!
Ingredients
Kelewele
3-4 ripe plantains, peeled and diced
1-2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons chili powder or cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder or minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 cups cooking oil for frying
Soy peanut sauce
1 cup unsalted smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup green onions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons virgin or canola oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
Kelewele
- Season the diced plantain with the nutmeg, salt, chili powder/cayenne pepper, ginger and garlic.
- Heat the cooking oil (enough to cover the plantain) in a large frying pan.
- Fry the diced plantain in batches at at a time (I fried mine in 3 batches) until it is deep brown. Do not overcrowd the pan.
- Flip the plantain once with a slotted spoon and continue frying until browned on the other side.
- Transfer the fried plantain to paper towels once they are ready and sperate them gently if they stick together. They should feel a bit crispy.
- Repeat steps 3-5 for the remaining plantain.
Soy peanut sauce
- Blend all the sauce ingredients in a high speed blender until it is super smooth.
- Serve over the kelewele as preferred.