Sese Plantains
Sese Plantains Porridge is a popular Cameroonian and West African everyday meal brimming with flavors from plantains, meat, spices, and herbs. A family-friendly one-pot meal!
Sese plantain is one of my go-to lazy meals because you dump everything in the pot and let the flavors slowly blend as it simmers. This everyday one-pot meal is frequently served in Cameroon households and throughout West Africa. It is sometimes called turning plantains in other parts because some stirring is involved during the cooking process to prevent them from sticking to the pot.
It can be simple with plantains, palm oil, salt, and crayfish or elaborate with fish, meat (any variety), and vegetables. Washed bitter leaves usually go in this recipe, but I replaced the bitter leaves with kale.
Recipe Ingredients
- Meat – Goat meat, beef shank, or any other flavorful cut that gets tender with low and slow cooking turns this into a delicious and hearty stew.
- Seasonings – Salt, cayenne, and onion add the perfect amount of flavor.
- Plantains – Green plantains are the tropical replacement for potatoes. When green, they don’t have the banana-like flavor, but add healthy carbs to your stew.
- Authentic Flavor – Crayfish, palm oil, Maggie, and cayenne pepper deliver authentic African flavor to any stew.
- Kale is easier to find in the States, but any traditional bitter greens will work fine.
How to Make Sese Plantain
- Meat – In a large saucepan, boil meat seasoned with salt, cayenne pepper, and onions until tender. How long it takes depends on the meat, but you can cut the time in half using a pressure cooker. (Photo 1)
- Prep Plantains – Cut both ends off the plantain with a sharp knife to make it easy to pull the peel off. Slit a shallow cut lengthwise of the plantain, cutting only as deep as the peel. Remove the peel by pulling it back. (Photo 2)
- Cut the plantains into thick rounds.
- Add – Place the plantains into the pot of boiling meat, and then add the Maggie, crayfish, red palm oil, and remaining onions. (Photos 3-4)
- Simmer – Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium, and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Greens – Finally, add the kale and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- Serve – Remove from the heat and serve hot. (Photos 5-6)
Tips and Tricks
- Sometimes, people omit the oil when cooking pepper soup plantains (another style of plantain soup). And that’s okay. However, palm oil adds an authentic flavor to the dish and an intense red color from the high level of beta-carotene.
- If using a tough cut of meat, like goat or shank, boil the meat before starting the dish so it’s tender by the time the plantains cool. Then, slowly cook the plantain in the meat stock for a tender, succulent meal.
More Satisfying Plantain Recipes to Try
Watch How to Make It
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Sese Plantains (Turning Plantains)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds meat goat or beef shank
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 pounds green plantains
- ½ cup crayfish
- ½ cup palm oil
- 2 cubes Maggie (1 tablespoon bouillon)
- 1 dash cayenne pepper, optional
- 1 bunch kale, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, boil meat seasoned with salt, cayenne pepper, and onions until tender. How long it takes depends on the meat, but you can cut the time in half using a pressure cooker.
- Cut both ends off the plantain with a sharp knife to make it easy to pull the peel off. Slit a shallow cut lengthwise of the plantain, cutting only as deep as the peel. Remove the peel by pulling it back.
- Cut the plantains into thick rounds.
- Place the plantains into the pot of boiling meat, and then add the Maggie, crayfish, red palm oil, and remaining onions.
- Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium, and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Finally, add the kale and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and serve hot.
Tips & Notes:
- Sometimes, people omit the oil when cooking pepper soup plantains (another style of plantain soup). And that’s okay. However, palm oil adds an authentic flavor to the dish and an intense red color from the high level of beta-carotene.
- If using a tough cut of meat, like goat or shank, boil the meat before starting the dish so it’s tender by the time the plantains cool. Then, slowly cook the plantain in the meat stock for a tender, succulent meal.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Hi Imma,
I’m so happy I found your website. I am trying to learn authentic recipes for my boyfriend (he is Cameroonian). My question is probably ridiculous, but I feel like it is still worth asking – I do not like any seafood at all and he is not huge on it either. For recipes like this one, would it change significantly if I omit the seafood (crayfish)?
Not ridiculous at all—your question is totally valid, and I’m so glad you asked!
Hi Lainee, You can absolutely omit the crayfish if you or your boyfriend aren’t fans of seafood. While it does add a distinct umami flavor that’s traditional in many Cameroonian dishes, leaving it out won’t ruin the recipe. You might just want to adjust the seasoning a bit to bring in a bit of depth.
So happy you found the site, and I love that you’re exploring Cameroonian dishes for him—that’s so sweet! Let me know which recipe you’re trying and I can offer more tips if you’d like.
Thanks for this delicious meal.
You are Welcome.
I have been cooking sese plantain for years now but after trying your recipe, sese plantain suddenly became my family’s favorite meal
Awesome! Glad this is a hit with your family, Lily!
We grow plantains and I love all the ways you’ve shown me to cook them. This recipe was another keeper!
Thank you!
Thank you so much, Philli!, yeah I do like to have my own grown plants to use on daily basis. I will grow some for sure 🙂
Hi, I’m 18 and I’ve been cooking with your recipes for almost a year now. My results from this partucular recipe compeled me to comment. I made sure to follow the instructions to the best of my ability and I will say this is one of the best my meals have ever tasted. I will most definitely continue cooking using your recipes because they are so diverse and produce delicious results. Thank you very much for what you do :).
This really warmed my heart, Jennifer. I am so glad you have been cooking my recipes and even more so that your this Sese plantains recipe was a hit with you :). This was one of my first recipes on the blog so this is a huge deal for me :). Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback. Happy cooking!!
How much is “2 Maggie”?
Can I just substitute boullion for whole amount?
Yes you sure can. Start with 1 teaspoon and add more , if desired.
Where do you buy crayfish?
It can be purchased at most African Stores. Some online African stores might carry it too
Hi Imma, I’m planning to try this recipe tomorrow and I was wondering, how much (if any) water do you think recipe needs if I’m going to use a slow cooker? I’m a bit confused on whether I should use bouillon *and* the Maggi or just the Maggi.
Either works-bouillon or the maggie. In regards to your other question I can’t say for sure . It’s one recipe I haven’t made in a slow cooker . I would start off with 1/2 the recommended amount and go from there .
Can I use a pork butt or chuck roast instead of goat or lamb?
Yes, you can. Please let me know how it goes.
OMG. I am an expat living my retirement years in Costa Rica and I love cooking. I am learning to cook with plantains and made your Sese Plantain yesterday. Had to substitute achiote for palm oil, but it turned out delicious. The best stew dish I’ve ever made or even tasted. Thank you so much!!!
How’s Costa Rica, Michael? I’m glad it turned out well for you. Enjoy!
Would love to try this recipe. Two questions though. Does 1/2 crayfish refer mean 1/2 cup of fresh crayfish? And second, how to you think lamb will work in this recipe?
Yes, it’s 1/2 cup crayfish. And lamb would work as well. I make it with goat meat all the time .
I love this so nice my mom was so happy of my cooking yesterday thanks Imma
Glad it worked out well for you. Thanks for letting me know.
Hi Imma,
I can’t wait to try this recipe!
How many cups of chicken broth do I use? It says something about chicken broth, I am not sure if I should add chicken broth w the beef or Maggie? If I want to use maggie, how many should I use; would one cube work?
Finally, when should I add the Scotch bonnet pepper?
Is pepper sauce okay?
Hi Jasmine! I am so glad you want to cook this recipe.
The chicken broth should just cover the plantains when cooking. I use the chicken broth with no added salt. That way I get to control the amount of salt/Maggi in the recipe. Adjust the salt/Maggi to your taste. You can add more chicken broth depending on the consistency you want.
You can add the scotch bonnet pepper about 10 minutes to the end. I would suggest you do not add the pepper sauce to the pot of food, but if you need the extra heat, feel free to add it to your plate of food ( I do this all the time lol.)
Do let me know how it goes.
So delicious!!! My boyfriend was happily surprised by my cooking this evening and my 5 year old cleaned his bowl!! Thank you Imma!
My Pleasure! Ginny!
Thanks a million for this recipe! I’ve used it now several times and have it bookmarked.
Comes out perfectly each time. Love it.
Thanks!
I so happy you love this recipe, just like I do.
I love this recipe so sweet I have try to cook it is so nice thanks.