Recipe for Nigerian Plantain Pottage With Unripe Plantain

Eunice loves to cook Nigerian food and share her recipes with others.

A Nutritious Dish

I'm not sure where the recipe for plantain pottage originated, but this dish is common in Nigeria. From the use of ground crayfish as a seasoning to the use of palm oil, the recipe is very local and authentic. Although it is inexpensive to prepare, it is highly nutritious. Unripe plantain is rich in iron, which makes this dish rich in iron, as well. Because of this, local tradition is to recommend this dish to pregnant women in order to boost the iron levels in their blood. This dish is also often prepared for growing children.

Cook Time

Ingredients

• 3 plantains, chopped
• scent leaves, sliced (or substitute basil)
• 2 cubes soy seasoning
• 100 grams fish, smoked or dried
• blended pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup crayfish, ground
• 1/4 cup palm oil
• 1/2 kilogram meat(optional), chopped

Instructions

1. Wash the fish and meat and put it in a pot. Add a little piece of stockfish for flavor. Season with salt, soy seasoning cubes and pepper. Cover the pot and set the heat to low. Leave to steam for about 5 minutes.
2. Pour in 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil.
3. Add crayfish and stir.
4. Add the chopped plantain. Allow to boil. Stir and taste for salt.
5. Pour in palm oil. Cover and allow it to boil for about 10 minutes. Throw in the sliced scent leaves and stir. Cook for about 2 minutes more, then turn off the heat.
6. Serve hot.

Comments

Eunice Godfrey (author) from Nigeria on September 17, 2019:

Hi Linda Crampton, I'd really encourage you to try it. Another way to enjoy plantain is by frying it and eating it with eggs and custard. You can see my other recipes for different foods to try too.

Linda Crampton from British Columbia, Canada on September 15, 2019:

I've never eaten plantains before or heard of plantain pottage. Thanks for sharing the information. I'm going to look for plantains in my local stores so that I can see what they taste like.