Banana Fritters

Pisang Goreng
Banana fritters served in a blue bowl with vanilla ice cream.
Recipe Source: 
Sweet, Savory, Spicy by Sarah Tiong ($25.00, Page Street Publishing Co, 2020) Photo credit: Ben Cole

Ingredients

  • 12 cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
  • 14 cup (38 g) rice flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 14 tsp salt
  • 1 cup plus 2 tsp (250 ml) water
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • Rice bran, canola or grapeseed oil, as needed
  • 6 large ripe bananas, peeled and cut into halves or thirds

Equipment

  • Deep-Fryer

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, rice flour, baking powder and salt until they are well combined.
  2. Whisk in the water and egg until the batter is smooth. The batter should have the consistency of pancake batter, and it should run off a spoon in a continuous ribbon. Leave the batter to rest for 15 minutes.
  3. In the meantime, heat the oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Dip each piece of banana into the batter and ensure it is coated completely.
  4. Add the banana pieces to the oil and fry them for 1 to 2 minutes, or until they are golden brown, rotating them every 30 seconds to achieve even browning

Notes

  • These banana fritters are superb with ice cream!
  • You can also fry other ingredients, like sweet potato slices, taro and jackfruit, using this recipe as a guide.

There’s a small food cart in the Brickfields suburb of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, right in front of the Shangri-La Restoran (no association to the hotels). The cart is run by a young but stern gentleman who serves three different things: fried taro, fried curry puffs and pisang goreng (fried banana fritters). He stands behind the roaring jet flame of a gas burner with a giant wok of bubbling oil sitting above it. With one hand, he batters the bananas and slips them into the oil. With the other hand, he skillfully flips the goods as soon as they are crunchy and golden brown. The pisang goreng are sweet like caramel and soft like warm custard on the inside. The banana fritters were a fantastic snack to munch on as you wandered down the road to explore Little India.

Contributor

Sarah Tiong

Since about the age of 15, Sarah Tiong has had an undeniable and unstoppable passion for food. Food encompasses everything she treasures about her family.

On a whim, she applied to MasterChef Australia, finishing in the Top 6. This adventure changed her forever: she realized that it was possible to share her love, passion and excitement for food with the world.

Enjoy the beautiful flavors of Southeast Asia street food at home with her amazing recipes!