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Alloco
Ivorian fried ripe plantain with a raw chilli and onion sauce
Alloco is the evening street food of Abidjan, fried in palm or vegetable oil in big pans by vendors around the Allocodrome in Cocody and in every neighbourhood. Very ripe plantain is cut into thick slices or cubes, fried until caramelised at the edges, and eaten with a fiery raw sauce of onion, tomato and chilli. Unlike Ghanaian kelewele it is not marinated in spices: the sweetness of the fruit against the sharp sauce is the whole point. Chef's tip: wait until the plantain skins are mostly black; yellow plantain fries up dry and starchy.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the plantain
For the sauce
Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Mix 1 onion, 1 tomato, 1 scotch bonnet, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 tbsp white vinegar or lime juice and ¼ tsp salt in a small bowl and set aside.
Step 2: Cut the ends off 3 very ripe plantains (black-skinned), slit the skins lengthwise and peel. Cut into 2 cm slices on the diagonal or into cubes, and sprinkle with ½ tsp salt.
Step 3: Heat 1 ¼ cups vegetable or red palm oil for frying in a frying pan over a medium heat until a piece sizzles steadily. Fry in batches for 3–4 minutes, turning once, until deep golden-brown with darker caramelised edges. Common mistake: oil too hot — the outside burns before the middle turns soft and sticky.
12 minStep 4: Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with the sauce spooned over or on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does alloco take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of tomato?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
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