1
Combine
Place coconut milk, water, sugar, vanilla bean and seeds, nutmeg, and salt in a pot. Bring to a gentle simmer.
Heat
05:00
Seychelles | Dessert
Ladob
Seychellois sweet ladob, ripe plantains and sweet potatoes simmered in coconut milk with vanilla, nutmeg, sugar, and salt.
Country
Seychelles
Region
East Africa
Time
45 min
Serves
4
Level
easy
Recipe overview
What to know before you cook
Ladob should be creamy but still shaped. Simmer gently so the coconut milk thickens while the plantain and sweet potato stay intact.
What the dish tastes like
Seychellois sweet ladob, ripe plantains and sweet potatoes simmered in coconut milk with vanilla, nutmeg, sugar, and salt.
When to cook it
Best for everyday meals, with a easy cooking level and about 45 minutes total.
What to serve alongside it
Tea, grilled fish meal finish, coconut flakes, or fresh fruit
Follow the collection
Vegetarian Africa is the easiest collection to explore after this dish. Vegetarian Africa
Regional lane
Seychelles national table. A verified Seychelles dish in the AfroKitchen archive.
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.
Recipe photos
See the dish before you cook
Each recipe supports one main image and up to four extra prep, serving, or step photos when they are available.
Chef board
Build the table around Ladob
Tea, grilled fish meal finish, coconut flakes, or fresh fruit
Best route from here
Seychelles national table
Collections to keep cooking
How to cook it
Step-by-step method
Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.
5 steps
45 min total
easy
2
Add Vegetables
Add sweet potato chunks first as they take longer to cook. Simmer until slightly softened.
Cook sweet potato
10:00
3
Add Plantains
Add plantain halves. Continue simmering gently until both are tender but still holding their shape.
Do not stir too vigorously — you want the plantains and sweet potatoes to stay intact.
Simmer
15:00
4
Thicken
If sauce is too thin, gently remove fruit and reduce the coconut sauce until creamy. Return fruit.
The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
5
Serve
Serve warm in bowls with plenty of the vanilla coconut sauce spooned over. Remove vanilla pod before serving.
Ladob is equally delicious served cold the next day — the flavors deepen overnight.
Every household has small variations. Start here, then adjust seasoning, heat, and serving sides to your kitchen.