Kerala Style Pazham Pori – Crispy Banana Fritters
This Pazham Pori / Banana Fritters recipe is popular in Kerala, South India, and served in almost every home. It is prepared using Bananas (‘Nendram’ variety, commonly available in Kerala), thickly sliced, dipped in a special batter, and deep fried until golden color.
Okay, we know we shouldn’t eat fried food all the time, but every now and then there are recipes that call for it, and sometimes the only way to satisfy a craving. These delicious snacks can be served in a variety of ways, including as a starter, dessert, side dish, snack, or, more commonly, an appetizer. You could serve it as it is or with vanilla ice cream.
What is Pazham Pori?
Pazham Pori or banana fritters are a favorite south Indian teatime snack. They are typically sold by coffee shops and are made from bananas that have been battered and deep-fried until crispy and golden.
Choose Banana To make the best pazham pori
Nendram pazham bananas are used to make pazham pori. These bananas are long, large, and firm even when fully ripe. If Nendram pazham or ethapazham is not available in your area then use firm, ripe bananas like Cavendish bananas. Do not use bananas that are too ripe or too soft.
The ratio of All purpose flour to Rice Flour
Everyone has their own variations when making pazham pori but flour and rice flour are added in most of the recipes. Rice flour gives crispness to the crust and makes it less chewy, so it’s a great flour to use when making a batter. Since it has a neutral flavor, it does not overpower the main ingredients in a recipe.
Most common in recipes:
2 Tablespoons Rice Flour = 1 Cup of all-purpose flour
It varies between 1 Tablespoon to 4 tablespoons of Rice flour per one cup of all-purpose flour in a few recipes. If you like pazham pori with a soft crust similar to the one you get in thattukada or hotel then please check the recipe here.
Easy Pazham Pori Recipe (പഴം പൊരി) – Banana Fritters
Ingredients
For The Banana Fritter Batter
- 1 Cup All purpose flour (മൈദ)
- 2 Tablespoon Rice flour (അരിപ്പൊടി)
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 Tablespoon Sugar (പഞ്ചസാര)
- ¼ Teaspoon Turmeric powder (മഞ്ഞള്പൊടി) (optional), gives the yellow color to the pazham pori.
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt (ഉപ്പ്) , this balance the taste.
- ¾ Cup Water (ice cold water is better for this recipe)
- 1 pinch cardamom (optional)
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
For Pazham Pori
- 3 Ripe plantain (600 gram) ഏത്തപ്പഴം
- Oil, To deep fry എണ്ണ
Instructions
Making the Batter
- Add all-purpose flour, rice flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and turmeric powder to a mixing bowl.
- Then gradually add ice cold water to make a medium thick batter. You can adjust the amount of water according to the consistency of batter.
Making Pazham Pori
- Peel the bananas and then first cut them in half. Then slice each piece lengthwise in to 3 equal parts.
- In a pan or Kadai, heat the oil for deep frying. The banana fritters can be fried once the oil has reached the right medium heat. To check whether the oil is hot enough to fry, drop a small amount of batter into it. If it sinks and rises quickly, then it is ready. (Note-2)
- Dip each slice in the batter and coat it thoroughly and place them in the hot oil (careful not to splash boiling oil – you can use some tongs). This may need to be done in batches.
- Maintain a medium flame while making fritters; if it gets too hot, only the outer portion of the fritter will cook, leaving the inner portion uncooked. If the heat is low, the fritters will be oily because they absorb more oil.
- When one side is cooked, turn it over carefully and fry the other side. Fry it until both sides are golden color.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool on some kitchen paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
- Prepare the pazham pori in the same manner and place them on kitchen paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
- Serve warm after the excess oil has drained and while still crispy.
Notes
- The oil that is traditionally used to make pazham pori is coconut oil. If that is not available then use any neutral oil like sunflower oil, peanut, etc.
- The oil must be heated to a maximum temperature of 180°C/356°F, which must be maintained at all times. For this recipe, cook a few pieces at a time and remove the batter residues from the oil with a spoon.
- Cold water helps in the retention of gluten within the flour.
- Mix only until all the ingredients are combined and get a smooth batter. Overmixing the batter is not required for this recipe.
- Adjust sugar for your preference, 2-3 tablespoons will give a medium level of sweetness.
- Some people like cardamom, sesame seeds, and cumin seeds for additional flavors but it is optional.
How To Make Banana Fritters that Stays Crispy – Variations
When we deep fry the ideal temperature of the oil is usually set between 325 – 375 degrees F. When we add something to the hot oil, that will drop the temperature of the oil. To deep fry correctly try to maintain a steady temperature. If you use a deep-fry thermometer it allows you to check the temperature of the oil and adjust the heat as needed.
In this recipe, the ratio of rice flour to all-purpose flour is higher, making the banana fritters crispier. Another method that is often used to make deep-fried food crispier is to fry your food twice “double-frying”. After the food cools down, the moisture from the center moves to the surface, making the surface soggy once more. The moisture is then removed on the second fry.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp cardamom (optional)
- 1 1/4 cup of ice cold water
- 1 Kg Ripe plantain banana
Direction
- Remove the banana skin and cut it into thin slices lengthwise. (3 to 4 pieces)
- Combine all dry ingredients (1-6) for the batter
- Add ice-cold water a little at a time to the flour mixture and make a smooth batter. (Note: The batter should have a medium thick consistency and should not form lumps.)
- Heat oil in a pan or deep fryer for the first frying (about 330 F or 165 C). If your oil temperature is too high, the crust will turn dark quickly, but the food may not be fully cooked on the inside. So it’s essential to keep the heat at a moderate level for first frying
- Dip each banana slice in to batter and coat evenly with the batter. Gently place them in the hot oil, do not overcrowd the pan
- When one side is light brown turn them and cook the other side. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper-lined plate.
- Before you begin the second frying, let it cool completely.
- Bring the oil to a higher temperature, around 375 F. Add banana fritters and fry a second time until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes and transfer to a plate. This double frying will crisp up the crust and stays crispy longer.
- Blot with a paper towel and serve it warm.
Secrets of making perfect pazham pori (banana fritters)
Perfect banana fritters should have a crispy outside and tender, moist fruit on the inside.
- Prepare the batter with the right ingredients and consistency
- Follow the deep frying tips
1. Choosing the Right Banana for Pazham Pori
Plantain is widely available in many grocery stores. Make sure to choose the one that is ripe but not overripe too much. Overripe bananas will become soggy when deep-fried.
2. Frying at the Right Temperature
Finding the right temperature for frying your food may be difficult, but it is critical. If you fry your food at too high a temperature, it will be burned on the outside but undercooked on the inside. A low temperature, on the other hand, causes your dish to become soggy.
For Example, if a recipe instructs you to heat your oil to 375°F, it recognizes that once the food is added, you will be cooking at 350°F, which is fine. If you overcrowd the pan, the temperature will drop far below what the recipe calls for, and your food will come out unpleasantly greasy. That’s why most recipes include instructions such as “cook in batches” or “don’t overcrowd the pan.”
To make sure that the oil temperature remains within this range, use a well-calibrated frying thermometer and keep an eye on things.
3. Using The Right Oil for Deep Frying
After following the ideal temperature for frying your food, the smoke point of the oil is the next step. Deep frying requires oil with a high smoke point. The temperature at which an oil or fat starts to smoke is known as the smoke point. The oil should be heated to a temperature of 350°F to 375°F for proper deep frying. Therefore, the oil’s smoke point must be at least 25°F higher than that range of temperatures, ideally 400°F.
- Vegetable oil
- Peanut Oil
- Sunflower Oil
- Corn Oil
- Canola oil
These work well because their neutral flavor does not interfere with the flavor of the food. Olive Oil and Avocado, for example, have a low smoke point and are ideal for pan frying and shallow frying.
4. Do Not Overcrowd The Pan
When you try to fry too many at the same time the temperature of the oil would drop, causing your fried food to become soggy. To cook properly, everything you’re frying needs to move around in the oil. Even though it takes longer, frying in small batches produces better and crispier food.
Frequently Asked Questions
Before storing fried foods in the refrigerator, make sure they have completely cooled. Warm food produces condensation, which makes the crust wet and soggy.
Fried foods can be frozen if they are placed on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper without touching them. Allow them to freeze for 1 hour (they will not be completely frozen), then transfer them to a freezer bag for longer storage and to save space.
Transfer banana fritters immediately to a warm (200°F) oven until ready to serve. Keeping the Banana Fritters on a rack will keep them crisp and warm in the oven while the rest of the banana fritters cook.
Keeping your fried food steaming hot slows the oil’s absorption into your food while also preventing another common problem with fried food which is sogginess. When food begins to cool, the moisture between the crust and the food condenses into water droplets rather than steam.
When you add banana fritters to the hot oil you will see lots of bubbles. As more steam escapes from the food, its surface dehydrates, leaving a crispy crust behind. Once most of the moisture has been removed from the outer layer, heat can move more quickly to the center of the food.
Steam will continue to escape, but the bubbles will be fewer and fewer. This indicates that your food is almost done, and the crust is about to dry out and crisp up. Take out food as soon as it reaches the desired golden-brown color, drain, and serve as warm. If you are not serving immediately then transfer that to the cooling rack and keep it in the oven at 200 degrees F.
After making the first batch of banana fritters in the oil you may notice some deeper color on the remaining banana fritters. This is due to the moisture and sugars that leeched into the oil during the first batch’s frying.
Deep-fried or breaded foods should be reheated on dry heat, such as in the air fryer, oven, or toaster oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, place the fried food on a baking sheet, and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through and crispy. If they are frozen do not thaw before reheating.
More Dessert Recipes
- Thattukada style Pazham Pori – Nadan Ethakka Appam Recipe
- How to make Fried Onion Pakoda | Crispy onion pakora
- Parippu Pradhaman payasam recipe
- Mango Cheesecake
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