Ofam (Ripe Plantain Loaf)
Ofam (Ripe Plantain Loaf) is a traditional Ghanaian recipe for a classic spicy fruit loaf made with ripe plantains and flavoured with chillies that is typically served as a Christmas cake. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ghanaian version of: Ripe Plantain Loaf (Ofam).
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
30 minutes
Total Time:
50 minutes
Serves:
8–10
Rating: 
Tags : Vegetarian RecipesBaking RecipesCake RecipesGhana Recipes
Though to Western eyes, this cake recipe looks savoury, in Ghana this is served either as a dessert or as a cake-like snack (as we would serve fruit cake). Indeed, it's often made for Christmas.
Ingredients:
1kg over-ripe plantains (these need to be black)
3 fresh chillies (or to taste)
1 onion, finely grated
3 tbsp freshly-grated ginger
250ml good-quality red palm oil (dende)
80g plain flour (either ground maize [the very finely ground type], rice flour or wheat flour)
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
Method:
Peel the plantains and mash until smooth (this is how you know if your plantains are ripe enough, as they should be soft enough to mash with a fork).
Place the mashed plantains in a large mixing bowl then add the grated onion. De-seed the chillies, chop and pound to a paste then stir into the plantain and onion mix.
Season to taste with salt and mix the ingredients together well. Now add 50g of the flour and stir to combine. If, at this point, the dough seems a little thin, add the remaining flour to make it thicker, then stir in 200ml the red palm oil.
Stir the batter well to combine the ingredients, then set aside to rest for 15 minutes. Use the remaining red palm oil to brush a springform cake tin. Scrape the plantain dough into the cake tin, then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 170°C and bake for about 30 minutes, or until lightly browned on top and cooked through.
Allow to cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Traditionally, ofam was cooked in banana leaves, but today it's more typically made in loaf tins (but the springform cake tin makes it easier to turn the cake out).
Ofam can be served warm or cold and should be accompanied by dry-roasted peanuts. Serve as a dessert or as a snack.
Find more Christmas Recipes Here
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