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Plantain mosa
Mosa: soft, sweet puffs of overripe plantain and pepper, a Lagos small-chops favourite
Blackened, very ripe plantains that are too soft for dodo find a second life as mosa, the little fried puffs that sit on Lagos party trays beside puff puff, samosas and spring rolls. Mashed plantain is mixed with flour, onion and a bit of chilli, dropped into hot oil and fried until crisp outside and custardy and sweet inside, with a gentle heat. They take less than half an hour. Plantain sugars burn fast, and too-hot oil gives dark puffs with raw middles, so fry at a steady medium heat. Most people go wrong with a batter that is too runny; it should drop from the spoon in a blob, or the puffs spread flat. Chef's tip: the blacker the plantain skin, the sweeter and softer the mosa.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 very ripe plantainsskins mostly black, about 400 g peeled
- 3 ½ oz plain flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ oniongrated
- ½ scotch bonnet chilli (optional)very finely chopped; leave out for children
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 cups vegetable oilfor frying
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mash 2 very ripe plantains with a fork until almost smooth. Stir in ½ onion, ½ scotch bonnet chilli, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg and ¼ tsp salt.
3 minStep 2: Add 3 ½ oz plain flour and ½ tsp baking powder and mix into a thick batter that drops slowly from a spoon. Add 1–2 tbsp water only if it is too stiff to drop.
2 minStep 3: Heat 2 cups vegetable oil in a deep pan to 350°F, until a drop of batter sizzles and rises within a few seconds.
5 minStep 4: Drop heaped teaspoons of batter into the oil, 6–8 at a time. Fry for 3–4 minutes, turning, until deep golden and puffed. Break the first one open to check it is cooked inside.
12 minStep 5: Drain on paper towels and serve warm.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does plantain mosa 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.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of baking powder?
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar per 1 tsp.
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