Dodo Ikire Recipe – The Online Cook

Dodo Ikire is a unique snack which originates from Ikire town in Osun state, Nigeria.

In this dodo Ikire recipe post, I will be listing ingredients for making dodo Ikire as well as briefly explaining how to fry dodo Ikire to get the best results, benefit of dodo Ikire and the origin of dodo Ikire.

This snack only has four ingredients which are very easy to get. But the process of making it especially how to fry dodo Ikire to achieve its unique black colour without getting burnt is the tricky part.

First, I will start with explaining the origin of dodo Ikire.

Origin of Dodo Ikire

Dodo Ikire is a spicy plantain snack that is black in colour. Dodo Ikire are two words joined together for better expression and identification.

In Nigeria, fried plantains are popularly called “dodo” and this the first part of the name of this snack.

The other part is “Ikire” which is used as a form of identification to distinguish that this type of fried plantains is specifically from Ikire is a town in Osun state which is located at the Western part of Nigeria.

The natives of Ikire town are known for their own unique way of frying plantains which results in its black colour, yet the fried plantains maintain its delicious taste.

As I continue with this recipe, you may be wondering what this snack is called in English language.

What is the English name for dodo Ikire

As earlier explained, dodo Ikire is a traditional Yoruba snack which is specifically native to Ikire town in Osun state.

As a result, this snack does not have a standard English name although some people call it Black plantain snack, but many people feel that name is inadequate in the expression of the origin, authenticity and taste of dodo Ikire.

Infact these unique features and taste are what makes dodo Ikire business a thriving one.

I remember my undergraduate days when I had to travel by bus, I would always anticipate when our bus would stop at Iwo bus stop in Osun state because as you already guessed, I wanted to buy dodo Ikire.

This lounging is one of the benefits of dodo Ikire which I would be stating below.

Benefits of dodo Ikire

Creation of business opportunities: The popularity of dodo Ikire has increased the demand for this snack. In turn, this has created business opportunities for the natives of Ikire town who have the skills and expertise needed for produce this delicious snack.
Zero waste: Dodo Ikire helps to curb food waste because it is made from over ripe plantains which may otherwise have been disposed because there too soft to be boiled or fried.

As we go further, I will be stating the few ingredients (just 4) used to make this snack which you can make at home with your leftover or overripe plantains.

Ingredients for making dodo Ikire

3 over ripe plantains
1^_1/2 cups Palm oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chilli flakes

As I move on to explain how to fry dodo Ikire

Please Note: To get the real dodo Ikire taste, you must use unadulterated/unrefined red palm oil. You can get real palm oil from Nigeria in my shop. Click the link below.

Cooking Procedure/How to fry dodo Ikire

Put chilli flakes in a bowl and add water – this is necessary to remove sand from the chilli flakes
Stir the chilli flake in water and gently scoop out the chilli flakes and set aside (watch the video recipe on YouTube to see the sand I was able to remove with method)
Peel over ripe plantains and place plantains in a clean bowl while you discard the peel.
Mash the plantains using a masher or wooden spatula- commonly known as turning stick or omorogun.
Ensure that mashed plantains are not too smooth.
Add 1 tablespoon chilli flakes, 1 teaspoon salt and mix well then set aside.
Put frying pan on cooker and add palm oil.
Allow the palm oil heat up properly but not till bleaching point.
Scoop plantain mix with a tablespoon into the hot oil and fry on medium heat.
Ensure to always turn the frying plantain batter from one side to the other every 90 seconds – this step is important to get the unique colour and taste of dodo Ikire without getting burnt.
Do this until the frying plantain turns to a dark colour.
Place a basket into a bowl
When fried plantain dark, scoop out the dodo Ikire into the basket
After frying every batch, lightly press the dodo Ikire with a spoon while it is still in the basket to remove excess oil.

After frying the dodo Ikire, it is time to package it in the signature local way. The steps on how to package dodo Ikire are below.

Get transparent small bags either the size used to wrap swallow foods like eba or the size used for moi moi- In Nigeria, we call them nylons.
Cut the nylons up into square and place on a small bowl.
First put little chilli flakes in the nylon and add one dodo Ikire.
Scrunch it up to make round or cone shape and tie it.
Viola !!! traditionally packaged dodo Ikire is ready.