This recipe takes its roots from Ghana. The southern states in particular lean heavily on cassava and plantain as major staples, but the common culture throughout the country is to serve a meal centered around the starch of choice with a soup or stew, most often tomato based, and added protein, very often fish. Like many places in the world, the starch is used as the utensil. For the central states and much of Ghana, this typically means Fufu; a rather bland starchy dough that requires a pretty excessive amount of effort compared to the outcome. These fried balls, however are anything but bland.
Now I know that some people cannot stand the batter fried bananas at Chinese buffets. It is one of those either ‘totally love’ or ‘totally hate’ foods that could practically break-up a marriage. I assume it is most often because of their texture.
Working with plantains is different, as they don’t get mushy when you cook them, even if you’ve mushed them. You get a pleasant mild banana flavor with an appealing texture. (Ha, Ha, Get it? a-peeeel-ing…)
Add to that the freshness of grated ginger, a little bit of warming spices, and just the right hint of spiciness, these crispy treats below will have you begging for more.
You can serve krakro/kaklo the traditional way with a soup or stew, with a personalized dipping sauce, or simply alone on toothpicks as hors d’oeuvres at your next party or family gathering.
Krakra/Kaklo – Sweet and Spicy Fried Plantain Balls
By: Vduley
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
- 3 yellow plantains
- 3 T grated* fresh ginger
- 1 small red onion grated
- 3 large garlic cloves grated
- 3 T packed brown sugar
- 1/2 t ground cinnamon
- 1/2 t ground nutmeg
- 1/8 – 1/4 t ground clove
- 3/4 t salt
- 1-2 serrano chilies to taste; minced
- oil for frying
*I used a micro planer for each of these. You might also be successful with a food processor.
Directions:
- Peel each plantain, halve and quarter, and add to a small pot of water. Boil for 20 minutes. (You may be able to skip this with really ripe plantain, but I find it makes them easier to mash.)
- Add the boiled plantains to a large bowl and mash. Add the rest of the ingredients and mash some more.
- When all of the ingredients are pretty well incorporated and grain is rather small, use your hand inside the bowel to squish and kneed the dough for several minutes until it forms a smooth – though still a little sticky – ball.
- Pinch off small sections, and roll between your palms to create balls about 2 inches in diameter.
- Deep fry the balls in oil around 350°F, until they are a medium brown.
- Serve your krakro/kaklo with your favorite Ghanaian soup or stew or simply alone as a snack. Enjoy!
Post a comment