Recipe #77: Krakro (kaklo) spicy plantain balls with corn dough

Stop! Do NOT throw out those squishy, moldy plantains. They're perfect for lots of things, especially this recipe, which is reminiscent of both tatale and bofrot. While I'm partial to kelewele and tatale, many Ghanaians choose this as a favorite snack or side dish, especially when served with a peppery sauce like gravy or shito. It also pairs well as an entrée with bean stew. While the seasoning ingredients are similar to those for tatale, the texture is quite different. Here are 2 versions from Flair Catering:

Recipe #77:  Krakro (kaklo) [Spicy plantain balls with corn dough], Version 1

Assemble ingredients:

• ~3 over-ripe plantains, enough to yield at least 2 cups when pounded
• 3 Tablespoons of finely grated onion
• 1 rounded teaspoon of any fresh hot pepper, grated or finely minced (or substitute additional dried red pepper)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried ground red pepper
• a scant 1/2 cup of unfermented corn dough (or 4 oz)
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup water
• ~2 Tablespoons of wheat flour
• 1 heaping teaspoon of baking powder

Directions:

1. Peel and pound the plantains (You can use a metal bowl and a sturdy glass or cup or even wooden spoon to smash them well. I used the wooden mashing tool from my asanka). You should have a good 2 cups.
2. Sprinkle over the plantains the grated onion, *fresh pepper, salt, and dried pepper, along with a few tablespoons of the water (*NOTE: I didn't have fresh red pepper, so I increased the amount of dried red pepper).
3. Add just enough water to the corn dough to make it smooth, and add it to the bowl with the plantain and seasonings.
4. Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the dough and the teaspoon of baking powder, and stir well. If the dough seems very soft, add a little more dough; if it seems too dry, a little more water.
5. Allow the mixture to sit for 20 or 30 minutes before deep frying it in small balls, following the directions for Recipe 28A or 28B. Because of the high sugar content of the over ripe plantains, I set my deep fryer at a slightly lower heat (about 360 degrees F) than I would for donuts. Drain well on paper towels or paper.

Variations: If corn dough is unavailable,  this can also be made using a combination of rice and wheat flours, and adjusting the water as necessary. Some earlier recipes omit the wheat flour and the baking powder altogether. If you choose to, you will need to decrease the amount of water, or omit it altogether. Also, some recipes include fresh ginger (I like to use a bit in mine), and some even include a little sugar as an optional addition.

Version 2: Krakro (kaklo) [Plantain balls with roasted cornmeal, aka

Ablemamu Krakro, Kyekyire Krakro]

In this version  roasted cornmeal (ablemamu), [somewhat difficult to prepare if you cannot find some at an African market] is substituted for the cornmeal. Follow the recipe above, but replace the corn dough with a cup of  the toasted corn flour, and about 1/3 cup of water. As before, if the dough is too soft to hold its shape, add a little more water, if it is too thick, add water a spoonful at a time.

Looking at some historic Ghana cookbooks (Alice Dede's Ghanaian Favorite Dishes, 1969 and Ghana Recipe Book, 1970), creative Ghanaian cooks have never limited themselves to making these fried balls with corn dough or flour: there are also recipes using cassava (after grating it and squeezing out the juice and omitting the plantain, and serving it with coconut); using mashed sweet potatoes, eggs, butter or fat, water or milk, and coating the balls with bread crumbs, then frying them and serving with meat or fish stew; and with gari. Yam balls (yele kakro), are also quite popular.

Why not try something different today?

Recipe #48: Yam Balls (Yele Kakro)

It's almost time for the new yams to appear on the scene in Ghana, but yesterday I bought 9 old puna yams for 25 cedis ($18, or $2 per yam, each weighing at least 4 pounds) , and they were still fresher than anything I could ever buy in State College, Pennsylvania.

Today we prepared some yam balls (in my notes I have written "yele kakro." I understand that is its name in Ga (see Naa's comment below) but am sure there are other names in other dialects and other West African countries, as well. Let me know that, too, please.

Like many flexible Ghanaian/West African recipes, there is plenty of room for improvisation, especially with seasonings. Also, I imagine that if you don't have African yams (please, not the much softer sweet potatoes, which are also called "yams" in the U.S.), perhaps you could try using potatoes.

Here's a basic recipe:

Yam Balls (Yele Kakro)

Gather the ingredients first. You'll need ~1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 eggs, about 1.5 to 2 pounds of African yam, 3 medium tomatoes, a large onion (or 2 small), a few tablespoons of flour, some oil for deep-frying (peanut is nice, but we used what we had today, which was safflower)--about 3-4 cups, about .5-1 teaspoon dried ground red pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or a similar spice. We didn't use garlic, but a few minced cloves would have blended beautifully, too. Some people add small amounts of cooked meat as well.

Peel and chop the yam into small chunks to get about 4 cups. Rinse and put them into in a large pot and cover with water (and add a little salt, if desired). Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat, and cook until soft (about 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of the chunks). While the yam is cooking, scald 3 medium tomatoes in boiling water and then plunge them into cold water to remove their skins. Core, and seed, if desired, then chop them finely. Set aside. Peel and mince a large onion. Set aside.

Heat 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add half of the minced onion and cook it for a couple of minutes, then add half of the finely chopped, peeled tomatoes. Cook for a few more minutes, just until the onion is soft but not browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in the thyme, salt, and red pepper. Set aside. Break the eggs into a small bowl and mix with a fork.

When the yam is cooked, drain off the water and mash (we used a potato masher) it while it is still warm. Stir in the cooked onion-tomato-spice mixture and the uncooked tomato and onion. Next stir in the 2 eggs and mix everything well, making sure the yam is thoroughly mashed and not lumpy.

In a small, deep, heavy saucepan put enough oil to fill the pan halfway and heat the oil to about 375 degrees.

Sprinkle a little flour on a working surface (we used a pastry mat), put a little oil or flour on your hands and shape a spoonful of the mashed yam mixture into a ball. We  made them a little smaller than golf balls and ended up with  over 2 dozen.

When the oil is hot (I sprinkle a drop of water in and see how it sizzles to judge when it's hot enough since I don't have a deep-fryer here in Ghana), put several balls in and cook them several minutes until they are golden brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain (if we'd had some cloth or paper we would have drained them on that, but none was available).

We ate ours as a snack while they were still warm, and shared them with some carpenters building me a kitchen table in my new house in Tema. If we'd had some fresh pepper sauce or shito that would have gone well with the yam balls, too. They also make a nice side dish as part of a meal.

For some nice pictures taken today by my undergraduate Penn State student intern/helper/photographer, Katie, who is here in Ghana for 2 weeks with me, check out her creative and lovely blog, Eat My Work. We also made some Tom Brown (ablemamu) for breakfast, and I let her snack on some tigernuts this afternoon. She took pictures of them all.