Tatale (Ghanaian Savory Plantain Pancakes)

I have yet to have a plantain dish that I didn’t love and tatale is definitely one of my favourite plantain dishes. Tatale is a Ghanaian dish that is typically made with over-ripe plantains. However, I decided to tweak this dish a bit by using firm, just ripened plantains. “Why?”, you ask? Because some plantains take forever to over-ripen and when you’re craving tatale, you simply don’t have time for that :).

Since, firm plantains are difficult to mash, I used a grater to grate the plantains before mashing them. Tatale is typically served warm with a bean stew (recipe included here). Traditionally, bambara groundnuts are used for the bean stew but they’re difficult to find in Canada so I used black eyed-peas instead. This dish also goes well with hot sauce, avocados (try it with guacamole), sour cream, or a savory yogurt dip like Tzatziki. The pancakes can also be eaten on their own. Happy eating!

 

savory plantain pancakes
Print Recipe
No ratings yet

Tatale (Ghanaian Savory Plantain Pancakes)

Tatale are golden, crispy plantain pancakes with onions, garlic and ginger. This dish is a Ghanaian specialty and is typically eaten with a bean sauce but it's also delicious on its own.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main
Cuisine: African
Servings: 6 pancakes
Calories: 330kcal
Author: Mavis K.

Ingredients

For the Tatale

  • 3 firm but ripe plantains (or over-ripe plantains)
  • 1/3 cup cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 egg (beaten)
  • 1 medium onion (grated)
  • 3 cloves garlic (grated)
  • 1 tsp ginger (grated)
  • 2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil (for frying)

For the Bean Sauce

  • 1 can black eyed peas
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 1 medium fresh tomato (chopped)
  • 1 small onion (chopped)
  • 2 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/3 cup vegetable broth
  • 2 tsp canola oil

Instructions

For the Tatale

  • Peel and cut the plantains into 3 pieces.
  • If using firm, ripened plantains, finely grate the plantains with a grater and then mash the grated plantains using a potato masher in a large bowl (if using over-ripened plantains, mash them with a potato masher in a large bowl).
  • Add the cornmeal and egg to the mashed plantains and mix well.
  • Add the green onions, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes (if using), salt, and black pepper to the plantain and mix well.
  • Heat the oil in a frying pan to medium heat.
  • Scoop about 1/3 cup of the plantain mixture, drop it into the frying pan (you might need to use a spatula to help the mixture form into an even, rounded shape).
  • Cook until each side is golden brown.

For the bean sauce

  • In a blender or food processor, puree the fresh tomato, garlic, onion, and vegetable broth.
  • In a small sauce pan, heat the canola oil.
  • Add the tomato puree to the oil and let it cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the black eyed peas, tomato paste, thyme, salt, and black pepper to the tomato puree.
  • On low-medium heat, cook the bean sauce until it becomes thick (about 10 minutes).
  • Occasionally stir the bean sauce as it's cooking.

Notes

For this dish, I mashed the plantains until they were about the consistency of mashed potatoes (see the picture below).

Nutrition

Serving: 1pancake | Calories: 330kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 304mg | Potassium: 889mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 1889IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 3mg

Sharing is caring!

No Comments

Leave a Reply

Recipe Rating