West African Fried Plantain

Across West Africa, fried plantain is as common as bread is here. It's the first thing you smell walking down a street where someone is cooking: that warm, caramelised sweetness of ripe plantain hitting hot oil with a sizzle. The trick is patience — leave them alone until the bottom is deep golden, only then turn. Too early and they tear, too late and they burn. When they look just right — dark gold with a crisp edge and a soft, almost custard-like interior — onto a plate, a pinch of coarse sea salt, and eat immediately. They don't wait. This is the kind of side that completes rice stews, but honestly I prefer them on their own, standing in the kitchen.