Kelewele

About This Recipe

Kelewele is the quintessential Ghanaian street snack, sold by vendors from dusk onwards in cities and towns throughout the country. Very ripe plantain — almost black-skinned — is cubed and coated in a fragrant marinade of ground ginger, crushed Scotch bonnet, cloves, anise and salt before being deep-fried in palm or vegetable oil. The result is a snack that is simultaneously crispy, caramelised, fiery and sweet. It is eaten on its own, served alongside roasted peanuts, or used as a side dish with groundnut soup. The dish requires just a few ingredients but demands confidence with hot oil and very ripe plantain.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 3very ripe plantains(almost black skin, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes)
• 1.5 teaspoonsfresh ginger(finely grated)
• 1Scotch bonnet pepper(deseeded and finely minced)
• 0.5 teaspoonground cloves
• 0.5 teaspoonground anise or anise seeds
• 0.5 teaspoonground cinnamon
• 0.75 teaspoonfine salt
• 1 litrevegetable oil(for deep-frying)
• 50 groasted peanuts(to serve)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the marinade

   In a bowl, combine the grated ginger, minced Scotch bonnet, cloves, anise, cinnamon and salt. Mix well to form a coarse paste.

2. 2

   Coat the plantain

   Add the plantain cubes to the bowl and toss gently until each piece is evenly coated in the spice paste. Leave to marinate for 10 minutes.

3. 3

   Heat the oil

   Pour the vegetable oil into a deep, heavy pan or wok and heat to 175°C (350°F). Test by dropping in a small piece of plantain — it should sizzle immediately and float to the surface.

4. 4

   Fry in batches

   Carefully lower the plantain cubes into the hot oil in batches — do not crowd the pan. Fry for 4–5 minutes, turning occasionally, until deep golden brown and caramelised on all sides. The sugars in very ripe plantain will caramelise quickly.

   Very ripe plantain caramelises fast — watch carefully and keep the heat moderate to prevent burning.

5. 5

   Drain and serve

   Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack or kitchen paper. Serve immediately with roasted peanuts on the side.

Variations

• •

  Add a pinch of ground nutmeg or cayenne to the marinade for extra warmth.

• •

  Serve alongside fried fish and spiced rice for a full Ghanaian street-food meal.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Best eaten fresh. If you must store, keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 hours and re-crisp in an air fryer at 180°C for 3 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions