Nigeria | Street food

Boli

Name: Boli
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 plantains
Cuisine: Nigeria, West Africa
Ingredients: 4 large ripe but firm plantains, peeled; 1 cup roasted groundnuts; 3 whole tomatoes, chopped; 2 whole scotch bonnet peppers; 1 small onion, chopped; 2 tbsp neutral oil; salt, to taste

Nigerian roasted plantain served hot with groundnuts or a spicy pepper sauce.

Country

Nigeria

Region

West Africa

Time

40 min

Serves

Level

easy

Start cooking Explore Nigeria recipes

01 / Get ready

Everything you need

Tap each ingredient as you gather it. Illustrations are visual guides; follow the ingredient names and quantities.

Servings 4

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Jump to method My cookbook

Ingredients

For 4 plantains

Street food

Plantain

4 large ripe but firm plantains, peeled

Serving

1 cup roasted groundnuts (optional)

Pepper sauce

3 whole tomatoes, chopped 2 whole scotch bonnet peppers 1 small onion, chopped 2 tbsp neutral oil

Pantry

salt, to taste

A few kitchen essentials

Suggested from the recipe method. Use equivalent equipment you have.

Knife & board

02 / Let’s cook

One step at a time

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Nigeria

4 steps 10 min prep 30 min cook (check method) 40 min total easy

Prepare plantains

Peel plantains and leave them whole or cut each in half crosswise.

prep 05:00

Roast

Roast over charcoal, grill, or hot oven, turning often until charred in spots and tender.

roast plantain 30:00

Make pepper sauce

Cook tomatoes, peppers, onion, oil, and salt until thick and glossy.

pepper sauce 15:00

Serve hot

Serve roasted plantain with groundnuts, pepper sauce, or grilled fish.

serve 02:00

In some southern cities, boli is paired with fish and pepper sauce. In simpler versions, roasted groundnuts do all the work.

Cooking notes, photos & serving ideas

Recipe context

More about this dish

Serving ideas, regional context, and cooking cues for when you want more detail.

When to cook it

Best for street-food plates, snacks, lunch, or barbecue sides.. Plan on a easy cook. Allow about 40 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Roasted groundnuts, pepper sauce, grilled fish, or avocado.

Regional lane

National party and street table. The foods that cross state lines: jollof, puff puff, pepper soup, boli, small chops, and shared celebration plates.

Chef watch-outs

Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
Adding all seasoning early and forgetting to adjust at the end.
Cooking on heat that is too high once the dish should be steaming or simmering.

How you know it is ready

The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.
The final texture should match the dish style before you plate it.

Pantry lane

palm oil, crayfish, iru or ogiri, scotch bonnet, melon seed

Recipe photos

See the dish before you cook

Take a closer look at the dish and its serving ideas.

Boli recipe from Nigeria — Boli finished dish

Chef board

Build the table around Boli

Roasted groundnuts, pepper sauce, grilled fish, or avocado.

Best route from here

National party and street table

Collections to keep cooking

Nigerian Regional Table West African Street Food

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