Small Chops

Dodo

Name: Dodo
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 3 large ripe plantains (about 750–900 g unpeeled; yellow skins with dark patches, still firm); 0.25 tsp fine salt (optional); 750 ml neutral frying oil (enough for about 3 cm depth in a small deep pan)

Golden slices of ripe plantain with sweet tender centres and lightly crisp edges. Dodo is one of the flexible accompaniments of Nigerian cooking: it can sit beside rice, beans, eggs, or a pepper stew, or be eaten as a snack. Nigerian writers distinguish the soft sweetness of ripe-plantain dodo from crisp chips made with unripe plantain. Related fried-plantain traditions also exist well beyond Nigeria. Cultural context: Fried ripe plantain is enjoyed throughout Nigeria and in many other cuisines. Dodo is the Nigerian name used for this preparation, not a claim of exclusive origin.

Photo by Setor33 · CC0

Image details

Resized proportionally to 900x1200 pixels; converted to WebP at quality 87; no cropping or content edits.

10 minPreparation

20 minCooking

4Servings

What you’ll need

4 servings

3 large ripe plantainsabout 750–900 g unpeeled; yellow skins with dark patches, still firm
0.25 tsp fine saltoptional
750 ml neutral frying oilenough for about 3 cm depth in a small deep pan

Let’s get cooking

1
Cut off each plantain’s ends. Make a shallow lengthwise slit through the skin and peel it away, keeping the flesh intact.
2
Slice diagonally into pieces about 1 cm thick. If the surfaces are damp, blot dry. Toss gently with the optional salt.
3
Warm oil in a deep heavy pan to about 170°C, leaving ample headroom above the oil.
4
Add a small batch in a single layer. Fry for 3–4 minutes, turn carefully, then fry 2–3 minutes longer until golden brown and tender.
5
Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on a rack or paper. The pieces darken slightly after removal, so take them out before the edges become black.
6
Let the oil return to temperature before cooking the next batch. Serve warm; makes four side portions.

A little kitchen wisdom

Firm-ripe plantains hold their shape better than very soft overripe ones. Bananas are softer and are not a direct substitute. No added sugar is needed for the natural sweetness of ripe plantain. Timing: active preparation 10 min; cooking 20 min; additional passive time 0 min; conservative planning allowance 30 min. Some stages may overlap. Recipe status: Research draft; not kitchen-tested. Allergens and checks: None specifically listed; verify every ingredient and product label.

Recipe notes & sources

Research draft; not kitchen-tested

Also known as: Fried ripe plantain

Fried ripe plantain is enjoyed throughout Nigeria and in many other cuisines. Dodo is the Nigerian name used for this preparation, not a claim of exclusive origin.

Around the table 0

Be the first to start the conversation.

More recipes to try

Small Chops

Ojojo

50 min

Awele’s Table

Ọ̀jọ̀jọ̀_(Yam_Fritters).jpg by Aderiqueza, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Image details

None by this package; original downloaded file bytes preserved. Source-file adaptations, if any, are credited separately.

Full source and image record

Small Chops

Puff Puff

100 min

Femi's Small Chops

Photo by Afrolems ; cropped by Off-shell · CC BY-SA 4.0

Image details

Resized and cropped for display. Image remains under its original license.

Small Chops

Kokoro

90 min

Ronke’s Weekend Pot

Small Chops

Chin Chin

70 min

Tunde's Table

Photo by Kaldari · CC0

Image details

Resized proportionally to 900x675 pixels; converted to WebP at quality 87; no cropping or content edits.

Small Chops

Dodo fried plantain

20 min

Zainab Cooks

Photo by Setor33 · CC0

Image details

Resized proportionally to 900x1200 pixels; converted to WebP at quality 87; no cropping or content edits.

Small Chops

Dodo fried plantain

20 min

Kemi's Weekend Kitchen

Photo by Setor33 · CC0

Image details

Resized proportionally to 900x1200 pixels; converted to WebP at quality 87; no cropping or content edits.

Emeka's Home Kitchen@emeka

Small Chops

Dodo

Photo by Setor33 · CC0

Image details

Resized proportionally to 900x1200 pixels; converted to WebP at quality 87; no cropping or content edits.

10 minPreparation

20 minCooking

4Servings

What you’ll need

4 servings

3 large ripe plantainsabout 750–900 g unpeeled; yellow skins with dark patches, still firm
0.25 tsp fine saltoptional
750 ml neutral frying oilenough for about 3 cm depth in a small deep pan

Let’s get cooking

1
Cut off each plantain’s ends. Make a shallow lengthwise slit through the skin and peel it away, keeping the flesh intact.
2
Slice diagonally into pieces about 1 cm thick. If the surfaces are damp, blot dry. Toss gently with the optional salt.
3
Warm oil in a deep heavy pan to about 170°C, leaving ample headroom above the oil.
4
Add a small batch in a single layer. Fry for 3–4 minutes, turn carefully, then fry 2–3 minutes longer until golden brown and tender.
5
Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on a rack or paper. The pieces darken slightly after removal, so take them out before the edges become black.
6
Let the oil return to temperature before cooking the next batch. Serve warm; makes four side portions.

A little kitchen wisdom

Recipe notes & sources

Research draft; not kitchen-tested

Also known as: Fried ripe plantain

Fried ripe plantain is enjoyed throughout Nigeria and in many other cuisines. Dodo is the Nigerian name used for this preparation, not a claim of exclusive origin.