Air Fryer Boli - Roasted Plantain

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Roasted plantain is a popular street food in Nigeria, locally known as “Boli” or “Bole”, depending on which part of the country you are. If you are walking down the streets of Lagos, where I grew up, chances are that you will see women making Boli over charcoal grills on the roadside. Well, you don’t need go out to buy your Boli anymore, it is so easy to make at home; and this post shows how to make it in the air fryer.

I find it funny that this much loved street food is called “Kofi Brokeman” in Ghana. The rationale behind this is that roasted plantain is cheap, and filling; which is perfect when you are broke. This is not the same for Nigeria as Boli is a favourite of both the rich and the poor.

Roasted plantain is usually eaten as a snack or side food, but it is makes a good meal on its own. It is also great as a finger food; and our barbecues are never complete without it. In the Western parts of Nigeria, it is usually accompanied with groundnuts. In the Southern part of the country, they make a more elaborate meal and serve it with grilled fish or pepper sauce.

Air fryer Boli is quick and easy to make; and tastes good too.

This Is What You Need To Make Boli

A few notes about ingredients;

• Ripe or Unripe Plantain: Whether you use ripe or unripe plantain for Boli is up to personal preference. Ripe plantain is yellow and sweet, while unripe plantain is green and quite bland, which makes it perfect for absorbing flavours in sauces and stews. Green plantain is also very firm and I personally don’t think it makes good Boli. I prefer to use ripe, but firm plantain.

How to Make Boli – Roasted Plantain

Peel the plantain by cutting off the two ends.

Make a cut into the skin, down the length of the plantain. Use your fingers to remove the skin from the plantain.

Cut down the length for fast cooking. I also cut into half because my air fryer is quite small.

Switch on the air fryer and set it to 200⁰ C. Load the plantain on the tray and close. Turn over the plantain after 10 mins, then leave for a further 5 mins to brown. Remove and serve.

If you don’t have air fryer, don’t worry; you can make Boli easily in the oven as well. Pre-heat the oven to 200⁰ C. Cut each plantain into two and lay out on a lined baking tray. Turn over after 15 mins and allow to cook for another 10 mins.

Cosori air fryer is a mid-priced family size air fryer with great functionalities and ease of use.