Kalawule (Spicy Fried Bananas)

It’s been a fantastic food night in the Merrill house this evening. I’m sitting here on my couch with a belly full of eggnog waffles and kalawule, while every breath I draw pulls me deeper into the aroma of Dawn’s winter vegetable chili (tomorrow’s lunch). It’s been a fun night. Let’s start with the Kalawule, which filled the role of appetizer this evening.

I had a very short business trip to Baltimore this past summer, there and back the same day, but I was able to schedule enough time for a short stroll around Fell’s Point, and an early dinner, before I had to run back to the airport. Quick side story, but for those of you who don’t know, Baltimore, MD is awesome. It’s a fantastic harbor city, and it has some fantastic food. If you ever find yourself in Baltimore with a couple spare hours, I highly encourage you to try the following restaurants: Pazo Restaurant, a swanky tapas bar located in a renovated old brick warehouse; and The Black Olive, a Greek inspired seafood restaurant (they have a seafood bar, where you get to choose the specific fish you eat). I promise I’m going somewhere with this. As I said, I had a few minutes to walk around Fell’s Point, and ducked into a few of the local stores, one of which had a cookbook that I just couldn’t leave behind, The World of Street Food. Kalawule is my first attempt at any of its tantalizing recipes. For those who are not familiar with kalawule, it originates from Africa. It’s a very simple dish, often sold by street vendors from trays in the evenings. Here are the ingredients.

4 Firm bananas, cut into chunks
½ - 1 tsp grated fresh or powdered ginger
½ tsp cayenne or chili powder (I did a little of both)
½ tsp ground black pepper
Palm or peanut oil (I didn’t have either, but used some Spanish olive oil)
Salt

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix the ginger with the cayenne and chili, pepper, salt and a few drops of water to combine the ingredients.
2. Put the chunks of banana into the spices and coat them well.
3. Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or wok and cook the banana pieces in hot oil until nicely golden. Drain well on a paper towel.

It’s simple, quick, fun, and really tastes great! Dawn and I are planning to make Zitumbuwa soon, which is very similar, but instead of the spices the bananas are coated with sugar to make a sweet treat.