Kele Wele

Elmotoo's Note:

This Ghanian (Western Africa) recipe is served as a dessert. Traditionally it's cooked in masses of hot oil. Don't skimp on the hot pepper; it won't bite in this dish!

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 -3 well-ripened yellow plantains (cooking bananas)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon hot red pepper, ground
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 piece fresh ginger, thumb-sized, finely chopped or 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped candied ginger or 1 teaspoon ground ginger, if fresh or 1 teaspoon candied ginger, isn't available but the flavor won't be the same
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Mix together the red pepper, salt, ginger, minced garlic, chopped onion and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a small bowl.
2. Peel the plantains and cut on the diagonal into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Place in a large bowl; add the spices and mix well to coat the plantains. If desired, place in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to help develop the flavors.
3. Heat some of the remaining oil in a large, heavy non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add plantains in a single layer. Sauté until browned, turn over and brown other side. Repeat until all the plantains are cooked.

Reviews

[mliss29]

Wow! This was really good! I usually do skimp on hot pepper but decided to trust, and it was great. Just right, really. I've never prepared plantains before, so I tasted it before cooking it. Can't say I'd recommend that! lol. Tasted like a bland sweet potato. But it sweetened up with the cooking and all the other flavors were so nice together with it. Thanks! Reviewed for Healthy Choices ABC tag.

[Kitchen Witch Steph]

Since I just didn't feel like dealing with hot oil, I just grilled the plantains instead. This added a nice smokiness to them and some pretty grill marks. The savory/spiceiness of the recipe went well with the sweetness of the plantains. I served this alongside some Amarula ice cream with a drizzle of caramel sauce. It made for an elegant and exotic (for us!) dessert. made for ZWT4 Africa.

[Um Safia]

Made & reviewed for ZWT 4 - Kumquat's Kookin' Kaboodles! I chose this unusual recipe for the Africa Dessert Challenge & am so glad I did. It is soooo good! I used homemade preserved ginger & drizzled a little of the syrup over the cooked plantains - delicious! Our family is used to the sweet / savoury combinations of African cooking so we all enjoyed this....Thanks Bethie for a lovely recipe :)