So, I spent this past weekend cooking. I also write for Bella Naija so I had lots to do including cooking for material to put up on this blog. You may wonder why I labelled it Michelin Star? This is me just being funny, and I wanted to plate Boli all fancy fancy, you will wonder if it is not the same street food, Boli. Roast plantains – Boli as it is fondly called in Yoruba land. I. I love Boli just as much as the next Lagosian. Growing up, we weren’t really allowed to eat street food because Mummy was sooooo afraid of food poisoning, so for me Boli was a treat because it was something mummy would allow us eat. As Boli is sold hot from a local grill over charcoals, the heat from grilling would have killed all the nasties. Despite the fact that you can see the seller turning it around with her bare hands, you still couldn’t wait to munch on hot steaming Boli.
photo credit: northoflagos
It was a treat you didn’t have at home because it is just wired inside of you to always buy from the street. Coming to this country, it is something that I really really miss, so when I bought plantains at the African store I said to myself, enough of eating fried plantain, make Boli instead.
Boli is sold hot from a local grill over charcoals and it is usually eaten with roasted groundnuts or lightly salted Palm oil.
photo credit: mynaijalifestyle
I remember the Boli seller a few minutes walk from my grandma’s house. As a treat Mama would give us spare change and my cousins and I will joyfully run a few streets away and stand watching while the Boli is grilled and we would run home to eat it with Palm oil or groundnuts. We loved it so much and we eat it so fast, that in no time it was all gone and we were pestering Mama to give us money, to buy more. If she said no, we would pester our mums when they came to pick us up. Half the time we were unsuccessful. Lol. So, Boli has a very dear place in my heart and thinking about it brings back fond memories.
Last weekend I decided to stray away from the usual Boli pairings of groundnut or palm oil, and make a fresh tomato salsa instead. I talked about creating Food Fusions some time ago and this is one of them. Food fusion at its funniest, 9ja meets Spain. Boli and Salsa are simple food basics in both cultures. Since I don’t have access to the local grill over hot charcoals, I am going to use the grill in the oven nonetheless. This is Boli as you have never seen it before. Homemade Boli with a difference and pretty easy to boot.
You will need
1 or 2 Plantains
pinch of Salt
1 teaspoon of Onion Powder or Black Pepper
Olive Oil
Cayenne Pepper – dry pepper
For the Salsa
4 firm Tomatoes
1 small Red Onion
1 piece of Ata Rodo – scotch bonnet/habanero pepper
2 Spring Onions – salad onions/scallions
1 Lime
2 tablespoons of chopped Parsley
Salt
How To
1. Peel the skin off the plantains and place in a flat plate. Make a rub with Olive Oil, salt and onion powder or black pepper in a little bowl and coat the entire surface of the plantains.
2. Place the plantains on the grill rack in the oven. Ensure that the rack is on the highest rung so that the plantains are close enough to the grill rods. Set the temperature to 230 degrees centigrade and turn the plantains over every 5 minutes so that it can grill evenly.
3. To make the salsa, simply chop all the ingredients listed above and place in one bowl. Add the chopped parsley and sprinkle over it the juice of 1 lime and season with salt.
Very simple to make you see – isn’t that just absolutely gorgeous
If you have never tried Salsa before, give it a try. It is just like a salad but without leafy vegetables. The lime gives it some tanginess and the salt also seasons it so it doesn’t taste bland on your tongue. Trust me, you will love it and it smells heavenly too.
Take the plantains out of the grill and plate with your salsa. I sprinkled cayenne pepper (dry pepper) on the boli just for extra heat. Unbeknown to me the heat from the diced Ata Rodo was sufficient. let’s just say I had quite a spicy experience but I enjoyed it to the last bite
……….and there you have it. Homemade Boli with fresh Tomato Salsa
…………..what do you think about my food fusion? An update from Boli and groundnut or Boli and palm oil. Lol
On point as usual.I really hope you have been thinking about opening restaurants all over the world sha.well done!
Yes oooooo. From your thoughts to the Lord’s ears. Thanks
Hi Dunni,
I have known to use a bit of olive oil to salsa everytime, the lemon juice and oil makes it tangy and sweet at the same time…..really nice…try it if you can.
Ooooh nice. Thanks for the tip
Hi Dunni,pls wen will you teach us how to make home made shawarma.tks
Hmmmn, you have set a task for me. I will start peeping at the local joints. If they chase me, I will know who to blame. Lol
Hi Dunni, do you remember how long the entire roasting process took? I know you said to turn the plantain every 5 minutes
15 i think, because by the 1st 5 minutes, the top was already browning, so I used that as a benchmark. Just check it often, so it doesn’t burn
Thank you dear. I tried it and it came out good. God bless you for this your blog.
Niiice. Glad you liked it. Thanks for visiting the blog
Definitely trying this. Homemade Boli…never thought of that before…lol
You should. Same grilling process as street Boli
Ahh Dunni,this one brings fond memories!Boli in port harcourt is a different kettle of fish,grilled peppered fish goes with the plantain,it is just fab!thanks for posting and keep up the good work!
Thanks Chiby, I can imagine that it will be amazing. Plantain and peppered fish. Yum
Is there something else I could use in place of tomatoes, or another type of nicely peppered sauce I can use, because I really hate the taste of raw tomatoes…
Hmmmn, it is a tomato salsa. You can replace it with sweetcorn and make a sweetcorn salsa instead
Hmm. Maybe that. Or maybe I can saute all the ingredients instead, to get rid of that raw-tomato taste? Thanks.
You can do that actually. The joy of eating food that you prepare is that you must enjoy it. It is absolutely crucial. if that means you have to tweak something here and there, please do. Nothing more annoying than not enjoying something you laboured for. You can try my recipe for Ata din din, which you’ll also enjoy with Boli. I hope that helps
Oh, I’ve just checked. Yes, ata din din looks like it would taste a lot better! LoL.
Great. As long as you find something you can enjoy. Please let me know how it turns out.
*burp* I just finished. Grilled plantain & ata din din. You have no idea how excited I am…thank you!!!!
You are more than welcome. So, pleased for you
Thanks for the tip Dunni for the home made boli.In Port Harcourt it is made with pepered fish and peper sauce(fried in veggie oil & palm oil).in Owerri they sprinkle fine chopped Utazi leaves over the boli and the peper sauce.Very nice combo.
Thanks Dee. I know about that combo too. I intend to make it during the holidays
Hey, do we use bake or broil on the oven?
Broil
Wow,breathtaken
Thanks
Every time I make mine, it is never well cooked on the inside but it burns if I leave it on longer.Any ideas?
Thhe heat is simply too high. Turn down the heat to medium when next you make it.