Kerala Pazham Pori/Banana fritters

Pazham Pori/Banana fritters

"Pazham Pori/Banana fritters",  is one of the favorite snacks of keralites. Its readily available in every restaurants or street side cafes/Dhabas in Kerala. I love the ones fried in coconut oil but down here I don't use coconut oil and hence I miss the typical Kerala style Payam Poris/Banana fritters.

Use Kerala Ethakkay/Nenthrappazham to make,Pazham pori/Plantain/Banana Fritters. It should be readily available in any of the "Kerala Stores" in any part of India. Choose ripened banana to prepare this snack.

My kids love it ,although I avoid making it very often owing to the fact that it absorbs too much of oil, then which type of fritters don't.  Its a quick recipe and very satisfying to the taste buds.

And yes I have to make a confession, that this time my husband prepared 'pazham pori' for all us and it was yummy.

Ingredients                                                  Quantity                                                   

Fully ripe plantains                                             :3
Refined Flour (Maida)                                       :1 and 1/2 cup
Gram flour/Besan(optional)                             : 2 tsp

Cardamom powder                                              : 1-2 tsp
Rice flour                                                                : 2-3 tbsp
Salt                                                                          : As per taste
Sugar                                                                      : 1-2 bsp
Water                                                                      : 1/4 cup
White sesame seeds                                           : 1/4 tsp

A pinch of turmeric powder
Oil for frying


Preparation Method:                                                                                           

• Heat oil in a pan.
• Mix all the ingredients ( Maida, rice powder , gram flour, Cardamom powder,sesame seeds, turmeric, sugar and salt) and add as much water as required to make a smooth thick batter. The consistency of the batter should be such that it should coat the banana pieces very well. If it does become watery, add a little more flour to change the consistency.
• Peel and cut the banana into 2 vertical sections or length wise.
• Again cut them lengthwise, into 4 pieces of equal thickness.
• Dip each banana slice in the batter to coat it on both sides and slide it into the oil.
• You could fry 3-5 at a time based on the size of your frying pan.
• On medium flame,fry them till they turn light brown on both sides.
• Drain excess oil onto tissue paper.
• Serve it with hot tea.

Tips:                                                                                                                          

• In order to ripen the Kerala banana , wrap them in a polythene bag and keep in a covered basket  for 2 days.
• Add 1/2 tsp of white vinegar to the batter,so that fritters do not absorb too much of oil.
• Adding rice powder gives it a bit of crispiness.
• One can  avoid using gram flour/besan.
•  If Kerala banana is not available then one can use the small banana as well to prepare this snack, but it wont' match the taste of the former one.

Sending to What is with my cuppa and Nupur's page .