Kelewele- Spicy Plantain Chips
It’d be a fair statement to say that plantains and I got off on the wrong foot. More specifically, I spent almost $10 for four plantains at Whole Foods and used half of them to make plantain chips that were so bad that they would have gone straight to the compost bin if I were less of a cheapskate.
The recipe in question marinated plantain slices in a spice paste prior to frying them. Sounded OK but the spice mixture slid off the chip, resulted in a bland plantain chip as well as a pot full of very spicy, messy, and ruined oil.
I decided to give another try, this time saving the spices for a dry dusting after frying. The result? Soooo much better. Bring out your mandoline or vegetable peeler for this one- you want the slices to be as thin as possible to get them crispy. Slice them too thick and you’ll get a doughier texture. Still good, but not quite what we’re going for here.
The chips get a nice dusting of a salty-sweet spice mixture to finish them off.
Kelewele- Spicy Plantain Chips
Yield: 4 snack-sized servings
Ingredients:
* 2 medium-ripe plantains, sliced as thinly as possible on a diagonal
* oil for shallow frying
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon sugar
Directions:
Heat about an inch oil in a large, heavy skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat until it reaches approximately 350 degrees. In batches, fry the plantains until browned, turn over and brown other side. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat until all the plantains have been fried.
Combine the salt, ginger, cayenne and sugar in a small bowl or bag. Sprinkle some of the seasoning over the chips and serve.
Welcome! I'm Cate and Girl Cooks World is my recipe journal from my culinary trip around the world. 
I've had plantain chips that were waaay too thick, and you're right, they're definitely “doughy.” I'd love to try some thin ones!
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yum! Another variation on kelewele is to cube the plantain. This is one of the most popular 'bar foods' at least in the area I lived in. Served up with some fried peanuts wrapped in newspaper.
We don't eat fried food much anymore, but when we want a snack, we just eat a giant plate of kelewele. When I cube them, I find I have to fry them far far longer than I think I should. They become dark, crispy and chewy. I'm drooling just thinking about it!
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I like my Kelewele using super ripe black plantains, and fresh ginger, fresh ground onion, and pepper. At least, that’s how my Ghanaian inlaws taught me to make it. :-)
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