This Ghanaian special goes by many names- Kaakro/Kaaklo/Kaklo/Akrakro. In English, these are plantain fritters or balls. This is that one side dish that you make when you want something sweet and spicy, but also have overripe plantains that you are thinking of tossing. Think again, when life gives you over-ripened plantains, make kaaklo!
My first taste of this was at a former place of work. After the times of COVID, the office confirmed we could have a potluck to celebrate Thanksgiving. I brought my tasty pan of jollof rice which I would say is becoming the usual option. My Ghanaian colleague on the other hand brought kaaklo. The rest they say is….
What is Kaaklo?
This refers to plantain fritters or balls made using overripe plantains mashed with peppers, aromatics and seasonings and fried into balls. And because it is made using plantains, these can be eaten alone as a snack or paired with some Ghanaian jollof rice. Ghanaians traditionally have these plantain fritters with bambara or bean stew.
If you would like to make it just as Ghanaians make it, get you an asanka (mini mortar & pestly) as opposed to using a food processor to grind up the ingredients. The peppers and aromatics are ground first before adding in the plantains. Now let’s look into the ingredients needed for kaaklo.
Ingredients needed for Kaaklo
Overripe Plantains
If your plantains are not overripe, I cannot guarantee the sweetness of your kaaklo. You can try to get some at your local African store. The darker and softer the plantains, the better!
Aromatics
You will need some onions and ginger, these add an aromatic essence to your kaaklo. You are able to add other ingredients based on your preference.
Scotch bonnet
This is used to add a bit of heat to the plantain balls. If you are not a fan of spicy food, feel free to skip this.
Spices & Seasoning
We keep the choice of spices and seasoning simple with kaaklo by using nutmeg, cloves, salt and black pepper. You don’t want to overpower the natural flavour and sweetness of the plantains.
Cornstarch
After the plantain, this is the most important ingredient. Cornstarch serves as a binding agent in the plantain batter. You can substitute by using some all-purpose flour if you don’t mind the gluten.
Recommended
Did I mention already how simple the ingredients for kaaklo come together? I meant it! First thing is to grind the cloves, and this can be done using a manual hand grinder or spice blender. Of course, the alternative is to use ground cloves in the absence of these kitchen tools or appliances. If you have an asanka or a food processor, start off with grinding the pepper, onions and ginger before adding in the spices, plantain and cornstarch.
When the batter is ready, they are scooped in equal portions and deep-fried in oil. This is one thing I always recommend when making this, STAY WITH IT! Okay, I didn’t mean to yell. The balls burn easily, so they should fry over medium heat with frequent flipping until all the balls have browned evenly.
Other dishes you should try!
Kaaklo Recipe (Ghanaian Plantain Fritters)
Ingredients
- 1 bunch overripe plantain 4 pieces
- 1 scotch bonnet
- 1 white onion chopped
- 1 thumb ginger
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp black pepper freshly cracked
- 4-6 cloves to be ground
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- vegetable oil for deep-frying
Instructions
- In your spice grinder or manual grinder, grind up the cloves and black pepper if using whole corns. Do this until smooth, then set aside.
- Using your asanka or food processor, grind the scotch bonnet, onions and ginger until roughly smooth.
- Slice up and add in the plantains and continue to mash them up until it is well combined with the pepper mix
- Grate in your nutmeg, pour in the black pepper, cloves salt and cornstarch, mix well.
- Heat up your oil in a large skillet for deep-frying. When hot, reduce to medium heat.
- Use an ice cream scoop or spoon to scoop in equal portions of the plantain batter and begin to fry. Flip over intermittently to prevent burning.
- When it has browned, scoop them and lay them on a flat dish lined with a paper towel.
- Serve with alone with peanuts or with some beans stew.
Notes
- When scooping in the plantain batter, it is important not to overcrowd the oil to prevent the balls from sticking to each other.
- If you don’t have cornstarch, you can use other substitutes such as all-purpose flour, roasted cornstarch etc.
- Regulate the heat to medium when frying the kaaklo. If not, you may end up with plantain balls burning on the outside but not properly cooked on the inside.
