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Tatale
Spiced overripe plantain pancakes with ginger and onion, fried until crisp at the edges
Tatale is how Ghanaian cooks rescue plantains that have gone soft and black: they are mashed with onion, ginger and chilli, bound with a little flour, and fried as thick pancakes. In Accra and the Volta region they are sold warm from roadside pans and eaten as a snack or with a bowl of bean stew (aboboi). The outside crisps and caramelises while the inside stays soft and sweet. This version uses fine cornmeal, which keeps it gluten free. Chef's tip: the blacker the plantain skins, the better; they should feel soft like an overripe banana.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mash 2 very ripe plantains with black skins with a fork or blend briefly until smooth with no big lumps.
Step 2: Stir in 1 small onion, 1 tbsp fresh ginger, ½ scotch bonnet chilli, 2 ½ oz fine cornmeal and ½ tsp salt. Leave for 10 minutes; the batter should be thick enough to hold its shape on a spoon. Add a spoonful more flour if it spreads.
Step 3: Heat a thin layer of 5 tbsp vegetable or palm oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Drop in heaped tablespoons of batter and flatten gently to 1 cm.
1 minStep 4: Fry until the underside is deep brown and the edges look set, then flip and cook the other side.
6 minStep 5: Fry the rest in batches with more oil as needed. A common mistake is flipping too early: wait until the edges look dry, or the pancakes tear.
Step 6: Drain on kitchen paper and serve warm, on their own or with bean stew.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tatale take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 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.
- What can I use instead of small onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
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