Banana Fritter

A banana fritter is a fritter made by deep frying battered banana or plantain in hot cooking oil. It is a common dish across Southeast Asia and South India. It was originated in Kerala, India.

It is commonly found in Kerala and is not served with any curry or side dishes.

Varieties

Brunei

Banana fritters are a traditional snack in Brunei, where they are called . They are similar to ''pisang goreng'' in Indonesia and Malaysia. , a variant of made with honey, are popular as a light afternoon meal ().

Cambodia

In Khmer, banana fritters are called ''num chek chien'' (). They are made by dipping flattened bananas in a thick mixture of rice flour, sesame seeds, egg whites and coconut milk seasoned with salt and sugar and deep frying them in hot oil until crispy and golden. The Cambodian banana fritters are more savoury than sweet and are often eaten as a snack with coconut ice cream as a popular accompaniment. A famous banana fritter shop in Cambodia is ''Chek Chean Pises'' operating since 2000 that has two locations in Phnom Penh – at Mao Tse Tong Boulevard and Kampuchea Krom Boulevard.

India

South India

''Vazhakkappam'' or ''pazham pori'' (), also known as ''ethakka appam'', is a fritter food with ripened banana or plantain and maida flour. A popular food item in South Indian cuisines, especially in Kerala, it is generally eaten as a breakfast or a snack. It is called as ''balekayi bajji'' () in Kannada, ''vazhakkay bajji'' in Tamil, and ''aratikaya bajji'' () in Telugu.

''Pazham pori'' is principally made from bananas or plantain. Plantains are slit lengthwise after peeling and is dipped into a batter made from all-purpose flour, salt, turmeric powder and sugar. This is then deep-fried in oil until golden brown. In the other South Indian states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, it is however prepared using besan flour.

''Pazham pori'' is served usually along with tea or chai as a snack in the evening. In some restaurants in Kerala pazham pori is served along with beef.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, banana fritters are commonly known as ''pisang goreng''. They are often sold by street vendors, In Indonesia ''pisang goreng'' are deep fried in ample of cooking oil; they might be coated with batter or not.

Plantain is often used instead of banana. Traditionally, some cultivars of banana such as '' pisang raja'', ''pisang tanduk'' and '' pisang kepok'' are the most popular kinds of banana used for pisang goreng. These banana cultivars have a mild sweet and sour flavor and firm texture that will not crumble upon being fried. ''Pisang raja'' however, has a softer texture and a fragrant aroma. The banana is often battered and then deep fried in ample palm oil. Pisang goreng might be battered or plain deep fried. The batter most commonly uses a combination of flour, either wheat, rice flour, tapioca or bread crumbs. Several recipes might add coconut milk or milk and vanilla extract into the batter to add aroma.
Most traditional street vendors will then sell them as is, without any additional ingredients or toppings. However, more upscale coffee shops, cafes and restaurants serve more sophisticated ''pisang goreng'' sprinkled with powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, cheese, jam, condensed milk, chocolate or vanilla ice cream.

In Indonesia, it is consumed as a snack to accompany tea or coffee, either in the morning or late afternoon break. Traditional '' warung kopi'' (local coffee shops) often offer ''pisang goreng'' and other snacks, including fritters and ''kue'' to accompany coffee or tea.

Banana fritters along other kinds of fritters are sold on travelling carts or by street vendors throughout Indonesia. Other than pisang goreng, various kinds of ingredients are battered and deep fried such as tempeh, ''mendoan'', tofu (''tahu goreng''), oncom, sweet potato, cassava chunk, cassava tapai, tapioca (''cireng''), vegetables ('' bakwan'') and breadfruit.

Every region in Indonesia has developed various recipe for ''pisang goreng'' with a variety of different names, ingredients and cooking techniques. In Bali for example, ''pisang goreng'' is called ''godoh biu'', in West Java it is called ''cau goreng'', in Java ''gedhang goreng'', in Sibolga ''pisang rakit'' and in Pontianak ''pisang kipas''.

''Pisang goreng'' is usually sold together with other ''gorengan'' fritters including fried tofu and tempeh. However, ''Pisang goreng Pontianak'' are widely popular in Indonesia with certain retail outlets exclusively selling only this type of banana fritters.

''Pisang goreng'' variants

Indonesia has many varieties of ''pisang goreng'', including:
;''Pisang goreng kipas'' or ''Pisang goreng Pontianak'': Refers to banana cut in the shape of a fan, battered, and deep fried. The term ''pisang goreng Pontianak'' is often used interchangeably with ''pisang goreng kipas'', as both have a similar fan-like shape, but the former is often filled or served with kaya jam.

;''Pisang goreng pasir'': Literally meaning "sandy fried banana", bread crumbs are added to the batter, resulting in grainy, crispy crumbs on the skin, giving it a similar texture to croquette.

;''Pisang goreng kremes'': Javanese ''pisang goreng kremes'' is quite similar to ''pisang goreng pasir'', but with a different batter composition and a different frying technique. The batter coating is made of rice flour, vanilla extract, and coconut milk, deep fried in an ample of hot cooking oil, creating crispy and crunchy ''kremes'' granules in the coating, and resulting in a sweet, fragrant aroma.

;''Pisang goreng madu'': Literally meaning "honey fried banana", honey is added into the batter, and prior to serving honey is drizzled upon the fried banana. The color is rather dark due to the caramelised honey.

;''Pisang molen'': Derived from Dutch influence in Indonesia, ''pisang molen'' literally means "milled banana". Unlike other batter-coated pisang goreng, ''pisang molen'' is wrapped around in tape-shaped thin pastry dough prior to frying, creating a crunchy texture on the outside similar to pastry skin, while the banana inside remains moist and soft.

;''Pisang cokelat'': Often colloquially abbreviated as '' piscok'', it is a thin crepe skin filled with banana and chocolate sprinkles or chocolate condensed milk, folded and deep fried in a similar fashion to making spring rolls. It is almost identical to the Filipino '' turon''.

;''Pisang embal'': '' Kei pisang goreng'' is similar to other batter-coated ''pisang goreng'', but using ''embal'' (tapioca or cassava starch) in its batter. It served with sambal.

;''Pisang nugget'': Small nugget-shaped fried banana. Its texture is akin to ''pisang goreng pasir'' in that it is coated in bread crumbs, however it is much smaller in size, similar in shape to chicken nuggets.

;''Pisang goreng telanjang'': Literally meaning "naked fried banana", it is fried without any batter. Salted butter or margarine are added, and it may be topped with grated cheddar cheese. ''Pisang raja'' and ''pisang tanduk'' are the most suitable banana cultivars to be fried without batter.

;''Pisang goreng Manado'': ''Manado pisang goreng'' is similar to other batter-coated ''pisang goreng'', except it is served with '' sambal roa'', a spicy chili paste made of smoked roa fish and fresh chilies.

File:Pisang goreng fried banana.JPG, ''Pisang goreng'' with paler batter.
File:YosriPisangTandukGoreng.jpg, ''Pisang tanduk goreng'' without batter.
File:Pisang goreng snack.jpg, Disc-shaped flat ''pisang goreng''.
File:Pisangcokelat.jpg, '' Piscok'', ''pisang goreng'' with chocolate

Malaysia and Singapore

In Malaysia and Singapore, banana fritters are commonly known in the Malay language as ''pisang goreng''. Other names may include and . The style of banana fritters commonly found in these countries is made by deep frying battered plantain in hot oil. It is typically consumed as a snack in the morning and afternoon. They are often sold by street vendors, although it is also offered as a product at storefronts, dining establishments as well as Singapore's hawker centres.

Myanmar

A dish of banana fritter cooked in thick, spicy fish sause and served with rice is claimed to have been a favourite dish of the former royal family of Myanmar.

Philippines

There are numerous fried banana dishes in Philippines. They are almost always made from saba bananas, a native cooking banana that is widely used in Filipino cuisine. ''Pritong saging'' are fried saba bananas (without batter) usually served with sugar or syrup. Bananas cooked with batter are a different dish known as '' maruya'', which are more commonly made mashed or sliced very thinly and spread into a fan shape. However, the most common Filipino street food dishes made from banana are banana cue and '' turon''. Banana cue are fried bananas coated with caramelized sugar and served on skewers; while ''turon'' is a type of fried dessert ''lumpia'' unique to the Philippines and is cooked in a crepe wrapper.

Thailand

''Kluai khaek'' (, ), sometimes called ''kluai thot'' (, ), is a popular Thai street snack. ''Kluai khaek'' is made from fried, floured banana commonly topped with white sesame.

For the word ''kluai'' in Thai means "banana" and ''khaek'' literally means "guest" and is a colloquialism used for Indians, Muslims or Hindus. Assumed that the reason it was called, probably because it was adapted from the recipe of those people.

At present, it can be considered as street food that is easily found in general street stalls. Often sold with other types of snacks that have similar characteristics, such as '' khanom khai nok kratha'', ''khao mao thot'', fried taro, etc.

An area famous for ''kluai khaek'' in Bangkok is around Lan Luang Intersection to Chakkraphatdi Phong Intersection, where it is referred to as Nang Loeng in the Pom Prap Sattru Phai District. Here, there are many ''kluai khaek'' shops. The sellers will dress with aprons different colours vary according to each shop. They will carry banana bag, walk down the street and sell to those who drive through the streets and intersections in this area. In February 2018, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has banned this type of trade from being sold on the streets.

Suriname

In Suriname, this snack is also known as ''bakabana'' (meaning fried banana in Surinamese).

Vietnam

In Vietnamese, banana fritters are called ''chuối chiên''. They are based on the French dessert ''banana flambée''. After deep frying, Vietnamese banana fritters are drizzled with rum or rice wine and ignited to further crisp them.

See also

* Banana cue, Filipino version of fried bananas
* Fried plantain, African version of fried bananas
* List of banana dishes
* Banana chips

References

{{Banana

South Indian cuisine
Kerala cuisine
Plantain dishes
Banana dishes
Cambodian cuisine
Indonesian snack foods
Malaysian snack foods
Bruneian cuisine
Filipino cuisine
Singaporean cuisine
Vietnamese cuisine
Fruit desserts
Malay cuisine
Malay words and phrases
Vegetarian dishes of Indonesia
Street food in Indonesia
Burmese desserts and snacks
Fritters
Indian snack foods
Vegetarian dishes of India
Street food in India