On our menu today is a Nigerian snack. In my humble opinion, this snack is a visible proof that something good and delicious can come out of something meant for the trash. The snack in question is none other than plantain mosa. Plantain mosa looks like puff puff but it’s actually made with overripe plantain. Before I share this recipe with you, let me mention two things. The first is that all purpose flour is what I use to make this snack but I’ve heard that corn flour, semolina flour and even wheat flour can be used in its preparation. The second is that even though some people use sugar to prepare this snack, I prefer to use salt because I feel that overripe plantain is sweet enough.
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Ingredients for plantain mosa
Overripe plantain
Yeast
Scotch bonnet pepper
Salt
Vegetable oil
Lukewarm water
How to Prepare
In a clean, small bowl, mix yeast in warm water. Once you have a lumpfree mixture, cover the bowl and set it aside for later use.
Rinse and dice fresh pepper. Then, peel the overripe plantain. Cut it into small pieces and mash it with a fork till you have a smooth texture.
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Sift all purpose flour into a clean sizeable bowl. Add salt to it and mix till it’s well combined. Add the mashed plantain and the yeast to the bowl. Stir the batter thoroughly to ensure the ingredients are well incorporated.
When mixing the ingredients for plantain mosa one should aim for a medium consistency; that is to say that the batter should neither be too thick nor too watery. If the batter is too thick, add a few tablespoons of water to it and mix until you get the desired consistency.
Cover the batter with cling film, aluminium foil or a clean kitchen towel and leave it alone for twenty to thirty minutes. When this time elapses, you will notice the batter is fluffier and it has risen slightly. Add the diced pepper to the batter; once it’s well incorporated, the batter is set for frying.
Add vegetable oil to a clean pot. The oil should at least be three inch deep as plantain mosa is deep fried. Place the oil on medium heat. When it heats up, do a heat test with a tiny batter. Simply drop the batter into the oil. If it sizzles and floats on top of the oil, it means the oil is ready for frying. You can use your finger tips or a tablespoon to scoop small amounts of batter into the oil and fry till golden brown.
Please, if the plantain mosa browns too quickly (this will most likely happen after the first or second batch), reduce the heat. Doing so will ensure the plantain mosa is not half done on the inside.
When you’re done frying, scoop them out of the oil and into a paper-lined sieve. When the plantain mosa cools, serve with cold drinks.
Featured image source: Supermart NG
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