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Congolese

Makemba

Vegetarian

Ripe plantain slices fried until caramelised at the edges and soft inside, lightly salted. The everyday side for grilled fish, chicken and stews in Kinshasa.

Makemba is a Congolese side dish, ready in about 17 minutes and made with plantain. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

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No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
5 min
Cook
12 min
Total
17 min
Serves
4
Level
Beginner
Calories
330

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oil to 170 °C in a deep frying pan.

    Food safety: Never leave hot oil unattended; dry the plantain slices so the oil does not spit.

    Food deep-frying in hot oil
    How it looks · Photo: Riya Roy on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Fry the plantain (opens in a new tab) slices in batches, turning once, until deep golden with darker caramelised edges.

    • 7 min
    • medium-high heat

  3. Step 3

    Drain on paper and sprinkle with salt while hot.

      Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
      How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Not attributed to one place · Origin uncertainFried plantain is eaten across tropical Africa and the Americas; makemba is the Lingala name for plantain.Also popular in DR Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Gabon
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Snack · Side dishes · Street food
    Cooking method
    Deep-fried
    Taste
    sweet, salty, buttery
    Diet
    Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
    All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · DASH-style
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Everyday · Budget-friendly · Street food · Child-friendly
    Cook more with
    Plantain
    Techniques
    Deep-frying

    Allergens

    None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    330 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 193 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 3%
    • Carbohydrate 64%
    • Fat 33%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy330 kcal171 kcal
    Protein2.3 g1.2 g
    Carbohydrate57.4 g29.7 g
    Net carbohydrate54.3 g28.1 g
    Sugars31.5 g16.3 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre3.1 g1.6 g
    Fat13.1 g6.8 g
    Saturated fat0.9 g0.5 g
    Trans fat0 g0 g
    Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
    Sodium299 mg154 mg
    Salt equivalent0.7 g0.4 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    877 mg
    Calcium
    6 mg
    Iron
    1 mg
    Magnesium
    65 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    101 µg
    Vitamin C
    33 mg
    Vitamin D
    0 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    40 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Fry in a single layer; crowding drops the oil temperature and makes the plantains greasy.

    Common mistakes

    • Using green plantains — they stay starchy and dry; the plantains should be ripe.

    Serve with

    • Serve with liboké, grilled fish (poisson braisé) or moambe chicken, with a hot pili-pili sauce.

    Storage

    • Best eaten immediately.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    • Plantain, ripe (yellow with black spots), peeled and sliced on the diagonal4 piece · 720 g
    Used in step 2

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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