Ingredients
Plantains
- 8plantains, green for boiling or yellow for frying
For boiling
- water
- 1 tspsalt
For frying
- 500 mlpalm oil or vegetable oil
- salt
To serve
- any stew, such as pondu, moambe or fish
- pili pili chilli sauce
Directions
- Rub oil on your hands first, since the sap stains and does not wash out. Cut the ends off the plantain.
- Score the skin lengthways in three or four places, cutting only the skin. Cut the peeled plantains into thick chunks. Put them in a pot and cover them with salted water.
- Bring it to the boil and lower to a simmer. Cook them for about twenty minutes. Test with a knife, which should go in with no resistance.
- Drain them and let them steam dry for a minute. Serve them hot, in chunks, beside the stew. Cut the ends off and pull the skin away in strips. Cut them into thick diagonal slices about a centimetre thick.
- Heat the oil in a wide pan to about 170C. Test with a piece: it should sizzle steadily without browning instantly.
- Keep the oil at a moderate heat rather than a fierce one. Fry them for about three minutes on the first side. They should be deep golden with darker caramelised edges. Turn them once and fry the other side for two minutes. Do not turn them repeatedly, since they break up.
- Lift them onto a rack lined with paper. Salt them lightly while they are still hot. Salt on sweet fried plantain is what makes it work. Serve them hot alongside the main stew rather than under it. They do not keep and are fried to order.
Technique
- Green plantains are boiled and ripe ones are fried; swapping them gives poor results.
- Oil your hands before peeling green plantain, since the sap stains permanently.
- Fry ripe plantain at a moderate heat, as its sugar burns easily.
Substitutions
- Vegetable oil in place of palm oil, though the colour is paler.
- Cooking bananas in place of plantains.
Variations
- Boiled green, as a starch beside stew.
- Fried ripe, as a sweet side.
- Pounded after boiling, which some households do.
History
Plantain, fried or boiled, the Lingala name for a staple that arrived in Africa from Southeast Asia over a millennium ago.
Frequently asked questions
What is Makemba?
Makemba is a salad & side from DR Congo: plantains boiled or fried beside every stew. Plantain, fried or boiled, the Lingala name for a staple that arrived in Africa from Southeast Asia over a millennium ago.
How long does Makemba take to make?
Makemba takes 15 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Makemba?
Yes, within limits. Vegetable oil in place of palm oil, though the colour is paler. Cooking bananas in place of plantains.
What is the most important thing to get right in Makemba?
Keep the oil at a moderate heat rather than a fierce one. Fry them for about three minutes on the first side. They should be deep golden with darker caramelised edges. Turn them once and fry the other side for two minutes. Do not turn them repeatedly, since they break up.
