Dish of Fried Bananas
(click to enlarge)

Fried Bananas


Thailand   -   Kluay Khaek
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 5 snack
***
40 min
Yes		 One of the most famous snacks produced by street vendors in Thailand. While you can't hope to duplicate the skills of a Thai street vendor in your kitchen, you can, with care, still produce some tasty bananas.

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Bananas, Peeled (1)  
-- Batter
Rice Flour (2)
Sugar
Coconut, fine (3)
Lime Water (4)
Salt
Sesame, white (5)
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Oil, deep fry (6)
Do-Ahead   -   (30 min - 2 min work)
  1. IF using:   Mix 1 T Pink or White Lime Paste with 2-1/2 cups water. Let sit until solids sink to the bottom, about 30 minutes. Pour off clear liquid as needed.
Prep   -   (15 min)
  1. Slice BANANAS lengthwise about 1/4 inch thick, usually three cuts. They should not be thicker or they will not stay crispy.
  2. Mix all Batter items   Stir in more water if needed to have a rather loose batter. It should coat the bananas thinly. Note: I have cut the pattern recipe's sugar from 1/2 cup to 1/3 cup. Use your own best judgement here.
Run   -   (about 20 min)
  1. Bring Oil to a frying temperature, about 360°F/180°C. A deep iron skillet with about 1/2 inch of oil works well and has plenty of room so the bananas aren't crowded.
  2. Working in batches so they aren't crowded and the oil temperature doesn't drop too far. Dip Banana Slices into the batter to coat completely, then transfer quickly into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, turning once or twice. Lift out and set on paper towels. Between batches, Use your Spider Skimmer to remove loose chunks of batter from the oil.
  3. Serve immediately, they are best when still a bit hot. See also Note-7.
NOTES:

  1. Bananas:

      Weight is peeled bananas. These should be small cooking type bananas that are still slightly under-ripe. Thai Gluay Naam Waa are used in Thailand, but "Thai Bananas" (not quite the same) are imported in large quantity from Mexico. These are quite sensitive to ripeness and should be mostly yellow for this recipe. For details see our Thai Bananas page.

  2. Rice Flour

      This is regular rice flour, not sweet/glutenous rice flour.

  3. Coconut, fine grated:

      This is unsweetened finely grated dried coconut.

  4. Lime Water:

      This is to make the batter more alkaline so it is firmer and browns better. Lime Paste, made from cockleshells baked at a high temperature, is available in small tubs from markets serving a large Southeast Asian population. To make water, 1 T paste to 2-1/2 cups water. Let sit until solids sink to the bottom (about 30 minutes). Pour off the clear water as needed. For details see our Lime page. Baking Soda can be used as a substitute, 1/2 Tablespoon to 3/4 cup of water, but the texture will be less firm. For the photo batch, since I had not yet found the Lime Paste at an Asian market, but wanting a similar texture, I used 2 Tablespoons of Philippine food grade Lye Water in 3/4 cup water.

  5. Sesame, white:

      This is untoasted white sesame seeds.

  6. Oil:

      Use a stable, high temperature oil like Olive Pomace. After frying a recipe of bananas the oil will appear quite dark, but if it is a stable oil you can filter it through a paper towel and it will be fine for frying other thing. For details see our Cooking Oils page.

  7. Reheating

      These can be partially re-crisped in the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C. Set bananas on a wire grate so they will be exposed to dry heat all around. Place in the oven for about 20 minutes. Not quite as good as fresh from the oil, but still pretty good.
  8. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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