Burnt Matoke Crisps

My dear mother calls me up to ask if I’d like some matoke (plantain/green bananas) and I’m like why not. She sends my brother to drop them off. Fast forward three days later, on that Thursday I manage to get home early and instead of just making the bananas in a stew I decide to make some crisps.

This recipe is pretty easy and quick to do. You only need bananas, oil for frying them and salt to taste.

Start by peeling and washing the bananas.

Tip: Apply some vegetable oil on your hands before peeling the bananas to avoid the sap from sticking on your hands or you can wear a clear polythene bag as gloves and peel away.

I cut the bananas into small horizontal slices, about a centimetre thick.

In a pan, heat oil then add the matoke slices. Ensure when putting the matoke you lay them in a single layer to avoid them from sticking to each other. Do not be tempted to keep turning them.

At this point, I heard a knock on the door, on opening it was my small brother Leon, he’d been sent by my other brother Sam to pick something from me. The first batch of the crisps were already cooked so I shared them with him while catching up.

So, this lady forgot all about the other crisps in the pan and by the time I got back to the kitchen this is what I found.

Imagine!!! Such disappointment. My dear friends when cooking these crisps please don’t leave the pan unattended lest you want burnt crisps. Taking of once bitten twice shy well that doesn’t apply to me since I successfully managed to burn the third bunch, unlucky much?

For the fourth and final batch I stood watch and even reduced the heat just to be on the safe side. Luckily they didn’t burn. I saved them for hubby.