Ingredients

• 4 very ripe plantains
• 50 g fresh ginger
• 1 small small onion
• 1 fresh red scotch bonnet pepper
• 1 tsp ground dried red chilli pepper
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground aniseed
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp water
• 750 ml vegetable oil
• 100 g roasted peanuts

Method

1. 01
   Peel the plantains Cut off both ends of each plantain, slit the skin along its length with a knife, and peel it away with your fingers.
2. 02
   Cut into chunks Cut each plantain lengthways into quarters, then slice across into bite sized pieces about two centimetres long, and put them in a large bowl.
3. 03
   Blend the spice paste Put the ginger, onion, scotch bonnet, ground chilli, cloves, nutmeg, aniseed, salt and water into a blender or pounding bowl and grind to a thick, fairly smooth paste.
4. 04
   Marinate the plantain Pour the spice paste over the plantain pieces, toss gently with a spoon until every piece is coated, and leave to marinate for thirty minutes.
5. 05
   Heat the oil Pour the oil into a deep pot or wok and heat it over medium high heat to about one hundred and eighty degrees Celsius.
6. 06
   Fry in batches Add about a third of the plantain to the hot oil in a single layer and fry, stirring now and then, for four to five minutes until deep golden brown with dark caramelised edges.
7. 07
   Drain the kelewele Lift the fried plantain out with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with paper towels and let it drain for a minute while you fry the next batch.
8. 08
   Serve with peanuts Pile the kelewele onto a plate or into paper cones and serve hot with the roasted peanuts on the side.