Boli

Ingredients

Plantain

• 4large plantains, ripe but firm – skin yellow with black patches, flesh still solid
• 1 tbspred palm oil, for brushing (optional)

Pepper sauce (ata dindin)

• 4 tbspred palm oil
• 1large onion, half blended, half sliced
• 4scotch bonnets (ata rodo), stemmed
• 2red bell peppers
• 1 tspsalt
• 2 tspground dried mushroom, for savour (optional)

To serve

• 150 groasted groundnuts, skins rubbed off
• 1 tspflaky salt

Directions

1. Light a charcoal grill and let it burn down until the coals are ashed over and glowing, with no flame – roughly 20 minutes. Boli is never cooked over live fire.
2. Trim the ends of the plantains and peel them completely, or leave the skin on and split it lengthways; street sellers do both.
3. Lay the plantains directly on the grill bars about 12 cm above the coals. Roast 8–10 minutes, turning every 2 minutes with tongs.
4. Brush lightly with palm oil if you want the classic burnished street-stall colour, and keep turning until the plantains are lacquered dark amber with black stripes and give softly when pressed – about 20–25 minutes total.
5. Meanwhile, blend the scotch bonnets, bell peppers and half the onion to a coarse puree with no added water.
6. Heat the palm oil in a small pan until it just thins and loses its raw smell – about 90 seconds, do not let it smoke or bleach. Fry the sliced onion 3 minutes.
7. Pour in the pepper puree and fry over medium heat 12–15 minutes, stirring, until the water has cooked off and the oil floats clear and red on top. Season with salt and the ground dried mushroom if using.
8. Split the hot plantains, sprinkle with flaky salt and serve with a spoonful of pepper sauce and a fistful of roasted groundnuts, eaten alternately – a bite of sweet plantain, a bite of nut.

Technique

• Ripeness is everything: green plantain stays chalky, and over-ripe fruit collapses into the coals. You want yellow skin heavily freckled with black but flesh that still resists a thumb.
• Red palm oil must be warmed only until fluid. Overheated palm oil goes acrid and turns from red to dirty orange, which ruins the sauce.
• Roadside boli is cooked slowly on a wire rack over spent coals so the sugars caramelise without the outside carbonising.

Substitutions

• No charcoal? Roast whole peeled plantains at 220°C (425°F) in the oven for 25 minutes, turning once, then finish 2 minutes directly on a gas burner for smoke.

Variations

• Bole and groundnut with a scoop of the pepper sauce is the Port Harcourt street standard, wrapped in newspaper.
• Bole and ube: roasted plantain with roasted African pear, a Rivers State pairing.

History

A Port Harcourt and Lagos street standard, grilled on oil-drum barbecues and sold to office workers at lunchtime.

Frequently asked questions

What is Boli?

Boli is a street food from Nigeria: ripe plantain roasted over coals, eaten with groundnuts or peppered fish. A Port Harcourt and Lagos street standard, grilled on oil-drum barbecues and sold to office workers at lunchtime.

How long does Boli take to make?

Boli takes 10 min of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Boli?

Yes, within limits. No charcoal? Roast whole peeled plantains at 220°C (425°F) in the oven for 25 minutes, turning once, then finish 2 minutes directly on a gas burner for smoke.

What is the most important thing to get right in Boli?

Light a charcoal grill and let it burn down until the coals are ashed over and glowing, with no flame – roughly 20 minutes. Boli is never cooked over live fire.