Category: Snacks

Kelewele recipe – How to make Kelewele (Spicy fried plantain cubes)

How to make KeleWele (Kelewele recipe – Spicy fried plantain cubes)

Freshly Made Kelewele
Fried Spicy Plantains

Kelewele pronounced kele-wele is spicy plantain cubes seasoned with ginger, onions, cayenne pepper, and salt.

Spicy fried plantain cubes is a popular and favorite street food in Ghana made out of riped plantains, sold by vendors at night times.

Kelewele is sold at night times because it gets really hot in the day; the average temperature in Accra is about 87 degrees Fahrenheit or 30 degrees Celsius.

Plantains are not bananas although they may look like them.  Bananas are eaten raw 90 percent of the time. Plantains can also be eaten raw but that’s rare.

There was a popular joint in  Accra called Labone Junction Kelewele, I have to admit that was the best I’ve had until I perfected the art.

My parents made sure we knew it was a treat anytime we were taken there. So we will not request to go there on consecutive days.

Serve this great dish with your favorite African cuisines like Waakye or Jollof.

Here’s a kelewele recipe you will enjoy (see a video of this recipe below)

Kelewele
5 from 19 votes
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Kelewele

Is cubed spicy fried plantains fried in hot oil

Course Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine Tropical, West African
Keyword Kelewele
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 2 People

Ingredients

  • 3 Ripe Plantains
  • 1/2 Bulb Onion
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • Ginger
  • 5 Tsp Water
  • Canola Oil for deep frying

Instructions

  1. Cut the plantains in two and then chop them up into cubes

    Fresh Ripe Plantains

  2. Add your dry ingredients together and then blend your water, onions, and ginger. After blending mix all the ingredients.

    Spices

  3. Add the spices to the cubed plantains

    Plantain and SPices

  4. Deep fry your plantain mix in pre-heated oil between 15-20 minutes

Ghana Meat Pie Recipe: How to make Ghana Meat Pie

Ghana Meat Pie Recipe.

 

Meat Pie Straight outta the oven
Mouthwatering Meat Pie
Ready!
5 from 19 votes
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How to Make Ghana Meat Pie

Ghana Meat Pie Recipe

Meat Pie is a West African street food pastry, that is stuffed with meat. It can served as an appetizer at restaurants, parties, etc.

Course Appetizer
Cuisine West African
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 5 People
Calories 275 kcal

Ingredients

Crust

  • 2 Cups Unbleached Flour
  • 1 Cup Butter
  • 1 Tsp Salt
  • 1/2 Cup Really Cold Water
  • 1 Large Egg For quoting

Meat Pie Filling

  • 1 Pound Ground Turkey You can substitute it with ground beef, chicken breast or tuna
  • 1/2 Bulb Onion
  • 1 Tsp Cajun Seasoning You can substitute it Adobo seasoning or seasoned salt
  • 1.5 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 Fresh Tomato

Instructions

Crust

  1. Combine the crust ingredients: your flour, butter, salt and water in a large bowl

  2. mix and knead it until a dough forms

  3. Set aside in a freezer for 10 minutes

Filling

  1. Pour oil in a frying pan and put it on medium heat

  2. Add the meat and seasoning let it cook for 10 minutes

  3. Add your onions to meat and let it cook for another 5 minutes

  4. Add chopped tomato and let it simmer for 5 minutes

  5. After the filling is done, lightly flour a surface and roll the dough with a rolling pin. Cut a piece of the dough into a square or circle, you can choose to make it large or small. Add some meat to each pie and fold in half and seal it. Use a fork to seal the edges so the meat does not fall out.

    Pre-Baked Meat Pie

  6. Lastly, quote the pies with your egg wash so you get that golden brown look

Recipe Notes

Yummy Meat Pie
Meat pie after they come out of the oven.

 

This post contains affiliate links.

I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase after clicking through the link.

Wow your guests with this beginner-friendly meat pie recipe from Ghana!

Meat pie is a popular West African pastry which is stuffed with meat. It is very similar to empanadas from Latin American countries.

People from the Carribean Islands also have their version regularly called patties.

You can buy meat pie from many street vendors in West African cities as a quick snack or for lunch especially for busy individuals. Meat pie brings back so many great memories.

Another good thing about meat pie is that they’re super easy to make.

I love to make them because my wife absolutely loves them and I know it always puts a smile on her face.

I remember just before we got married we a mini-fight which was my fault.

So I apologized and bought her some really delicious meat pie.

When we were growing up, my Mom would make it for special occasions like birthday celebrations, marriage ceremonies, Christmas and other holidays.

It did not matter how many meat pies she made, they were always all gone by the same day. This was always a bummer the next day when we realized we had no more meat pies to eat.

And the times when we did not get to eat meat pies at home we would go over to our neighbors’ house because their Mom was a baker. She made meat pies once a week. And if we found ourselves there at the right time we would get a piece or two.

Try making this delicious recipe for your guests to switch things around.

If you try this meat pie recipe and end up with delicious pies, don’t blame me!

Make sure to pair it with Sobolo for extra effect.

You can get good unbleached flour from Amazon.

Ghana Sugar Bread

Freshly Made Ghana Sugar Bread
Sweetbread fresh out of the oven

Making Ghana Sugar Bread or any kind of bread reminds me of a woman who sold bread in the neighborhood I grew up in Accra, Ghana.

Almost every other day we’ll pick up Ghana Sugar Bread fresh out of the oven. And I soon as I got home I would cut a couple of slices and butter them up.

Nothing like warm bread with melting butter over it.
Sugar bread gets its name because it’s made with sugar, duh :).

We don’t buy sugar anymore but we use organic honey as a substitute. We purchased a jar from the local farmer’s market. I don’t feel as bad using honey because it has medicinal value.

If you’re hungry and you want a quick snack, try this world-famous bread with a chilled Sobolo drink.

If you’re a bread fanatic like me you’ll have some bread ready for a quick snack or surprise your guests with this amazing recipe.

Make this recipe a little simpler by purchasing a Bread Maker from Amazon.

Wow your guests with this beginner-friendly meat pie recipe from Ghana!

This post contains affiliate links.

I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase after clicking through the link.

5 from 7 votes
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Ghana Sugar Bread

`This is one of the more popular breads to make in Ghana, West Africa. Made with flour, sugar / honey, nutmeg, eggs, milk, etc

Course Breakfast
Cuisine West African
Keyword Ghana Sugar Bread
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 4 People
Calories 200 kcal

Ingredients

  • 2.5 Cups Unbleached Flour
  • 1 Cup Sugar Its usually made with sugar
  • 1 Cup Butter
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 1/4 Cup Whole Milk
  • 1 Tsp Salt
  • 1 Tsp Nutmeg
  • 1 Tbsp Yeast
  • 1 Cup Lukewarm Water

Instructions

  1. Boil one cup of water for a few minutes or until lukewarm and add the salt and a tbsp of honey then add the yeast. Let it sit between 5-10 minutes or until it reacts, it should grow in volume and become foamy.

  2. Pour the the flour in a big bowl and add the nutmeg

  3. Add the butter, milk, egg, water and mix well. Knead for about 10 minutes until its smooth and elastic.

  4. Shape into a loaf and place it in a greased baking dish, cover it up and let it sit for about an hour so it rises.

  5. Place in a 350 degree Fahrenheit pre-heated oven and bake for about 45-60 minutes until its golden brown 



Boflot (Puff-Puff)

 

Boflot (Puff-Puff)
5 from 7 votes
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Boflot

Its a popular West-African street food similar to donuts in other parts of the world. It's called Boflot in Ghana, Puff-Puff in Nigeria and Sierra Leone. 

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine West African
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 5 People
Calories 180 kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 CUPS Unbleached Flour
  • 2 Tbsp Dry Yeast
  • 2 Cups Lukewarm Water
  • 1 Cup Honey / Sugar I use honey
  • 1 Tbsp Salt
  • 1 Tsp Nutmeg

Instructions

  1. Boil two cups of water for a few minutes or until lukewarm and add the salt and a tbsp of honey then add the yeast. Let it sit between 5-10 minutes or until it reacts, it should grow in volume and become foamy.

  2. Pour the the flour in a big bowl and add the nutmeg.
  3.  Mix the flour and the yeast mix together and let it rise for about 45 minutes.
  4. Scoop them up with an ice cream scoop or roll them into a ball shape.

  5. Deep fry them about 5-10 minutes. Time to enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Earlier this year I learned how to make one of my favorite snacks growing up in Ghana called Boflot. I remember I used to have it for breakfast with some Koko (Corn porridge). or with a glass of hot chocolate preferably Milo. You can get them when you're downtown Accra and you need a quick snack to stave off your hunger. They can also be eaten as an appetizer before your main course at an African restaurant.

Its also made in Nigeria and Sierra Leone where its called Puff-puff. Its a little similar to donuts and actually there are a few British I know who call it donuts. 



Kaklo (ripe plantain spicy cakes)

Kaklo (ripe plantain spicy cakes)

This post contains affiliate links.

I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase after clicking through the link.

Kaklo, this week’s recipe is so dear to my heart because it has always been one of my favorite meals.

This is different from fried plantains aka Kelewele.

The difference is that Kaklo is made cornflour and Kelewele is not.

I always looked forward to lunch on Fridays as a kid. Because I knew I was going to be eating either fried plantains or Kaklo with beans stew.

The day you try this recipe you’ll feel cheated because it took you so long to find out about this wonderful recipe.

Also, don’t keep this recipe to yourself share it with your guests,  spices can found on Amazon.

Kaklo
5 from 5 votes
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Kaklo (ripe plantain spicy cakes)

Extremely ripe plantains mashed and deep fried into spicy cakes.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine West African
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 People
Author fnonterah2018

Ingredients

  • 5 Ripe Plantains
  • 2 Cups Canola Oil (For deep fry)
  • 1/2 Cup Corn Flour
  • 1 Tbsp Salt
  • 1 Tsp Black Pepper
  • 1 Clove Garlic
  • 1 Bulb Onion
  • 1/2 Pound Ginger Root
  • 1/2 Cup Water

Instructions

  1. Cut up the ripe plantains into little pieces
  2. Put in a blender together with all the other ingredients and blend until its a smooth puree
  3. With an ice cream scoop, fill up the scoop with the mix; you can also make the balls with your palm
  4. Deep fry them for about 10 minutes or until its like the above shown picture. And your Kaklo is ready to be devoured!