Homemade Dodo Ikire

Dodo Ikire is a fried plantain treat indigenous to Ikire in Osun State and they have shared this popular delicious plantain snack with all of Southwestern Nigeria and now it is even an export commodity.
Dodo Ikire is a spicy plantain snack made with overripe plantains fried in palm oil.
Travelling through southwest states you will find them sold by the roadside, in traffic, food stops, bus parks… They are tied in clear nylons bags and sold as bunches or clusters as shown in the picture above.

There is a Yoruba folklore song that my grandma used to sing to calm little babies: it tells of a travelling parent, promising a crying child that they will return from their trip with moinmoin and Dodo Ikire.

I’ve had many failed attempts trying to recreate Dodo Ikire to taste just like the ones I buy on road trips. About a month ago a reader requested the recipe for Dodo Ikire and I decided I was going to try again till I nail it. I had a little idea to try a method different from what I’d been doing And try I did and nailed it. I’ll be sharing my method here.

Recipe

Ingredients (makes a very small batch for two people )

• 2 overripe plantain
• 1 tbsp blitzed pepper and onion
• Salt to taste
• Palm oil -for deep frying-
  (you can use a mix of vegetable and palm oil)
  
  *Optional ingredients
• Ginger powder
• 1 small onion

Procedure

• Peel and cut the plantains into chunks
• Add blitzed pepper and onion, salt, *ginger powder, to the chunks.
• Mash all together, without turning it into a smooth paste.
• Heat up the palm oil till really hot. Put in half an onion so it can release it’s flavors into the oil.
• Scoop the plantain mash into the hot oil.
  
  Here is where I do things differently. I fry twice.
  
• Fry till plantain mash almost cooked and remove from the oil to strain and cool.
• Form the fried plantain into small balls and fry again in hot palm oil. This time it will brown up really quickly so keep an eye on it. Once it has taken on a dark brown colour, remove it from the oil into a strainer or mesh sieve.
• Leave it to cool. Dodo Ikire is a cold snack so serve cold.

• 

• 

• 

Heads up, dodo ikire can be deliciously addictive, so you might just get hooked! Enjoy

---

• Plantain Goodness