Ingredients
Plantains
- 4ripe gonja plantains, or ripe yellow plantains
Equipment
- a charcoal grill
- tongs
To serve, if wanted
- salt
- chilli powder
- roasted groundnuts
- grilled meat on a stick
Directions
- Squeeze it gently: it should give slightly but not feel mushy. Now the fire, which should be past its fiercest point. Set the grill about fifteen centimetres above the coals. Lay the plantains on the grill still in their skins.
- Turn them every five minutes with tongs so all sides meet the heat. The skin will blacken and split, which is exactly what should happen.
- Keep turning through the blackening rather than pulling them off. Roast them for about twenty to twenty-five minutes in total. Now judging when they are done, which is by feel.
- Press one with the tongs and it should feel soft the whole way through. The split skin should show flesh that has turned deep golden.
- Peel the plantains and lay them directly on the grill bars. Turn them every three minutes so they colour evenly. They cook faster this way, in about fifteen minutes.
- Brush them with a little oil if they look like drying. Now serving them, which is done immediately and simply.
- Peel back the blackened skin and serve the plantain hot in it. Most people eat them plain, since a good gonja needs nothing.
Technique
- Use plantains that are yellow with black patches, not green and not fully black.
- Roast over glowing coals with no flames, since flames scorch and leave the middle raw.
- Roasting in the skin steams the flesh and keeps it moist.
Substitutions
- Any ripe yellow plantain, if the gonja variety is unavailable.
- A ridged griddle pan indoors, though the smoke is lost.
Variations
- Peeled and grilled directly on the bars for more caramelisation.
- With chilli powder and salt dusted over.
- Served with a stick of grilled goat meat, as at taxi parks.
History
A distinct sweet plantain variety, roasted rather than steamed like matooke and sold at taxi parks and roadsides across the south.
Frequently asked questions
What is Gonja?
Gonja is a street food from Uganda: sweet plantains roasted whole over charcoal at roadside stalls. A distinct sweet plantain variety, roasted rather than steamed like matooke and sold at taxi parks and roadsides across the south.
How long does Gonja take to make?
Gonja takes 5 min of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Gonja?
Yes, within limits. Any ripe yellow plantain, if the gonja variety is unavailable. A ridged griddle pan indoors, though the smoke is lost.
What is the most important thing to get right in Gonja?
Keep turning through the blackening rather than pulling them off. Roast them for about twenty to twenty-five minutes in total. Now judging when they are done, which is by feel.