Easy Nigerian Gizdodo: Peppered Gizzard and Plantain

The fiery taste of Gizdodo will have your mouth on fire! Imagine the satisfying crunch as you bite into its peppered gizzards and plantains, tossed in a delicious sauce with tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, and bell peppers!

What Is Gizdodo?

Gizdodo is a popular Nigerian food that consists of peppered gizzard and plantains tossed in tomato and pepper sauce. It is usually served as a starter, main course, or rice side dish.

However, you don’t have to wait for parties to enjoy this delicacy. You can make gizdodo anytime and anywhere.

But if you’re wondering about where the name came from, it’s simply a fun combination of gizzard and dodo, the colloquial name for plantain. Giz-dodo!

Variations of Peppered Gizzard & Dodo (Gizdodo)

There are many variations of gizdodo. Some people add other ingredients and switch out the traditional gizzard meat for fried fish, chicken, beef, etc.

Beefdodo

Beefdodo is probably one of the most popular variations of gizdodo. If you’re not a fan of gizzards, you’ll love beefdodo. With this recipe, the gizzard is replaced with beef.

Chickendodo

This recipe uses chicken or turkey parts like breasts and thighs instead of gizzard. To copy the traditional boneless gizzard dodo, ensure that there are no bones in the chicken or turkey before chopping it into small pieces.

Yam Gizdodo

What’s not to love about YamGizDodo? The savory mixture of chicken gizzards, fried plantains, and yams served with a spicy tomato and pepper stew will water your mouth for more!

Vegan Gizdodo

As the name implies, you’ll only use vegetables for vegan gizdodo. Also, as a replacement for meat other plant-based substitutes like mushrooms and tofu can be used.

What Does Gizzard Taste Like?

They’re similar to dark chicken meat but slightly more flavorful, tough, and chewy. They can be used in place of beef or pork for various recipes.

What is the Best Sauce For This Peppered Gizzard and Plantain Recipe?

The perfect gizdodo needs a little something extra to make it stand out from the crowd. A peppered sauce with hints of spicy, savory tomatoes and sweet bell peppers will do just that!

The perfect condiment for Gizdodo is a pepper sauce made with tomatoes, hot peppers (scotch bonnet or habanero), and green and red bell peppers. 

Is Gizzard Healthy?

Yes, gizzard is healthy because it contains high amounts of protein, vitamins, iron, and zinc (Source).

What’s The Benefit Of Eating Gizzard?

Gizzards are often overlooked as a culinary ingredient, but they can be quite tasty. They are typically stewed or fried, and they can be served with a variety of sauces.

In addition to being delicious, gizzards are also nutritious. They are a good source of protein and iron and can help boost your immune system. 

Main Ingredients For Gizdodo

• Gizzard – Gizzard and plantains are the core of this recipe. If you’ve never tried chicken gizzard before, this food would be a good introduction for you.
• Ripe Plantains – Nigerian parties would be incomplete without plantains. While they look like bananas, they’re not. They are great sides for rice dishes. Other plantain recipes include roasted plantains (Boli) and plantain porridge.
• Olive oil / Vegetable Oil – For this recipe, you can use any oil on hand, but popular options are vegetable oil and olive oil.
• Stock cubes – Seasoning cubes bring out the flavor of this food. Knorr or Maggi seasoning cubes can be used for this recipe.
• Bell peppers – You can use a mix of red, orange, and green bell peppers for this peppered gizzard recipe.
• Onions – You’d have difficulty finding a Nigerian food that does not have sauteed or sliced onions. I always picked out the onions from my food as a little child. I couldn’t quite understand why we had to cook with onions. I know better! I just dice or blend it up real good!
• Salt – There’s something about salt that elevates the flavor of food. Of course, if you have dietary restrictions, you can still enjoy this recipe without salt. All-purpose seasoning salt can be substituted for thyme salt to give this food a mild thyme undertone.
• Scotch bonnet pepper – It’s no secret that Nigerians love spicy food. Scotch bonnet gives this spicy pepper sauce its hotness.
• Tomatoes – Tomatoes play a small role in this recipe mainly because they contribute to making these fried plantains soggy.

Is banana a plantain?

No, banana is not a plantain. Banana is technically a fruit, but it’s commonly called plantain. Bananas are native to tropical climates but can be grown almost anywhere in the world.

Tools Needed To Prepare Peppered Gizzard and Plantain

• Large bowl
• Chopping board, blender, or food processor
• Kitchen Knife
• Non-stick pot <- ❤️ this perfect pot
• Slotted spoon or spider skimmers
• Frying pan <- undeniably one of my favorite kitchen tools

Ingredient Additions & Substitutions For Gizdodo

Gizzard

You can easily substitute gizzard for meat like chicken breast, turkey, beef, or fish. However, the overall taste of your recipe might be slightly different if you opt for meat with a remarkably different flavor. Mushrooms and tofu are also amazing alternatives.

Plantain

Although it is true that ripe plantain is the heart of this recipe, you can try unripe plantains, diced yam, diced sweet potatoes, or even diced Irish potatoes. Your options are limitless!

Tomato

Not a big fan of tomatoes? You can omit this vegetable completely from the recipe. Red, orange, and green bell peppers give this gizdodo recipe its characteristic vibrant color. You can also substitute fresh tomatoes with tomato puree or tomato sauce.

Hot Pepper

The scotch bonnet can be replaced with either habanero pepper or dried and ground Cameroonian pepper. And if you don’t like super spicy dishes, it’s ok to remove the spicy peppers from this recipe.

Spices

Other optional ingredients and spices you can add to this recipe are black pepper, cayenne pepper, dry pepper, curry powder, and gloves of garlic.

How Do You Make Gizdodo?

Ingredients

• 1 lbs Gizzards
• 2 ripe Plantains
• 200 ml Olive oil / Vegetable Oil
• 2 Chicken stock cubes / Seasoning cube
• 1 large green pepper
• 1 large orange bell pepper
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1-2 spring onions
• 1 tsp salt (to taste)
• 4 Scotch bonnet/fresh habanero peppers (depending on how spicy you want the pepper sauce)
• 4-7 small tomatoes (optional)
• Fresh ginger (optional)

Instructions

STEP 1: Boil the gizzard with onions, seasoning cube, and salt until cooked (~40 minutes). Save the gizzard stock/broth.

STEP 2: Cut your sweet plantain into cubes and set them aside. Next, cut the gizzard into smaller bite-size pieces.

STEP 3: Oil your frying pan on medium heat and fry gizzard. Once cooked, remove from heat.

STEP 4: Add a pinch of salt to the ripe plantains and deep-fry in a separate pan until golden brown. Transfer to a bowl lined with oil-absorbing paper or paper towel.

STEP 5: Add some onions and saute for 2 – 3 minutes to the same oil used to fry the gizzard.

STEP 6: Add the gizzard broth, seasoning cube, and some salt to taste. Cook for 1 – 2 minutes on medium.

STEP 7: Add the blended scotch bonnet peppers (or habanero peppers) and fry for about 1 minute.

STEP 8: Add seasoning and some salt to taste. Cook for 1 – 2 minutes on medium.

STEP 9: Add green peppers, orange peppers, and bell peppers, and diced tomatoes (if using). Cook for about 5-7 minutes. Be careful not to overcook as the peppers will become soggy. You can either dice the peppers with a knife or use a blender or food processor to chop them up.

STEP 10: Add your fried plantains and cooked gizzard to the pan.

STEP 11: Mix together. Serve hot with your choice of rice dish.

What to Serve With Gizdodo

Gizdodo pairs extremely well with a plethora of rice dishes. A few Nigerian food options are:

• Boiled rice – The popular way to eat and serve this delicious dish is with boiled rice.
• Jollof rice – Serve your gizdodo with your choice of jollof rice (Naija, Ghana, Gambian, Senegalese, or Liberian).
• Fried rice – Serve this peppered gizzard sauce and fried plantain as a side to Nigerian fried rice.
• Spaghetti – The sauce from the gizdodo makes a phenomenal combination with plain pasta. You can double the sauce ingredients (fresh tomatoes or broth) to have more sauce for the pasta.

Tips About Making This Gizdodo Recipe

• Only use plantains that are ripe but firm. Overripe plantain will become soggy when added to the pepper sauce and will soak up all the sauce leaving nothing behind for your rice or spaghetti.
• Be careful frying your gizzard. The skin will get tougher the longer the gizzard is fried.
• Gizzard is tough and chewy. Be prepared to cook it for over 30 minutes. Alternatively, use your pressure cooker to shorten the time. I don’t like my gizzard to feel like I’m chewing on leather, so I make it to match the hardness of the plantains.
• Although this recipe calls for chicken gizzard, you can also use turkey gizzard (or any gizzard you can get your hands on).
• It’s optional to use tomatoes in this recipe. You can also replace fresh tomatoes with tinned tomato paste.
• For this recipe to come out well, you need to use firm, ripe sweet plantains.

How To Store Gizdodo

Can You Freeze Gizdodo?

Yes, you can freeze gizdodo. The main thing to remember is not to use over ripe plantain because it’ll get soggy during the reheating process.

Personally, I prefer to make my gizdodo up to a few hours before consuming it. If you decide to freeze this peppered gizzard and plantain dish, keep in an airtight bowl or freezer bag and store frozen for up to a month.

Although the texture of the plantain might be slightly different, it’d taste just as delicious as the first time you prepared the dish.

Alternatively, fry and store the plantains separately from the peppered tomato and bell pepper sauce.

Conclusion

Nigerian food is some of the most flavorful and enjoyable I’ve ever tried.

Gizdodo is a dish made with gizzards and plantains, and it’s sure to please any palette.

The best part about gizdodo is that it’s easy to make, so you can still enjoy this delicious dish even if you’re not an experienced cook. If you’re looking for a new recipe, why not try gizdodo?