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Plantain Porridge

Plantain Porridge — sometimes called Plantain Pottage — is a one-pot plantain and vegetable dish where unripe or semi-ripe plantains are cooked in a richly seasoned palm oil and pepper broth until they become tender and flavourful, absorbing all the seasonings into their starchy flesh. It occupies the same culinary space as Asaro but uses plantain instead of yam, creating a dish with a distinctly different flavour — slightly sweet-savoury from the plantain, richly spiced from

Plantain Porridge, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 4 big unripe or semi-ripe plantains (the greener the skin, the firmer and less sweet the porridge)
  • 3 big ripe tomatoes, blended
  • 2 Tatashe (red bell peppers), blended
  • 2 Atarodo (hot chilli peppers), blended
  • 1 big onion, sliced
  • 3 cooking spoons of palm oil
  • 2 big handfuls of smoked fish, soaked and deboned
  • 1 big handful of stockfish, soaked
  • 3 big handfuls of ground crayfish
  • 3 big handfuls of fresh spinach or ugwu leaves, chopped
  • 3 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • Salt to taste
  • 3 glasses of water

Method

  1. 01

    Preparing the Plantains. Cut off both ends of each plantain. Score the skin and peel. Cut the peeled plantains into thick rounds approximately 3 fingers thickness thick. Set aside.

  2. 02

    Frying the Pepper Base. Heat 3 cooking spoons of palm oil in a wide, deep pot over medium heat. Add sliced onion and fry 2 minutes. Add blended tomatoes, Tatashe and Atarodo. Fry for 15 minutes, stirring regularly, until cooked and oil floats on top.

  3. 03

    Building the Broth. Add the smoked fish, stockfish, ground crayfish, seasoning cubes and salt. Add 3 glasses of water. Stir and bring to a simmer.

  4. 04

    Cooking the Plantain. Add the sliced plantain pieces to the broth. Stir gently to coat in the sauce. Cover and cook on medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes until the plantains are completely tender and beginning to break down slightly at the edges.

  5. 05

    Adding the Vegetables and Finishing. Add the chopped spinach or ugwu leaves. Stir through. Cook for 5 more minutes. Taste and adjust all seasonings. The porridge should be thick, well-seasoned, with soft plantain pieces that have absorbed all the flavours. Serve hot.

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