Kelewele
Ghanaian street-food ripe plantain cubes marinated in ginger, chili, and cloves, then fried to caramelized crisp-edged sweetness. Snack or side.
- prep 15 min
- cook 15 min
- total 30 min
- serves 4
- easy
- vegetarian
- Ghana
Ingredients
- 4 medium ripe plantains
- 2 tbsp ginger
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 0.25 tsp ground cloves
- 0.5 tsp ground cardamom
- 400 ml vegetable oil
Steps
- Peel very ripe plantains and cut into 2cm cubes.
- Grate ginger and mince garlic finely; grind cloves and cardamom to a powder if whole.
- Toss the plantain cubes with ginger, garlic, cayenne, ground cloves, cardamom, and salt in a bowl.
- Rest 10 minutes for the marinade to grip.
- Heat vegetable oil in a heavy pan to 175°C.
- Fry the plantain cubes in batches for 4-5 minutes, turning, until deep golden and crisped at the edges.
- Drain on paper towels and salt lightly while hot.
- Serve immediately as a snack with roasted peanuts, or alongside grilled fish or waakye.
Tips
- Plantains MUST be black-yellow ripe — under-ripe won't caramelize.
- Small cubes = more caramelized edge; do not skip cutting.
≈ 340 kcal · 3 g protein · 72 g carbs · 6 g fat — per serving, estimate