Crispy banana fritters
Crispy banana fritters are a beloved street snack in southern Vietnam: ripe Namwa bananas are pressed flat like little fans, dipped in a coconut milk batter and fried until golden and crunchy. The shell is shatteringly crisp, fragrant with sesame and gently rich, while the banana inside turns soft and honey-sweet. All you need is a pan of hot oil for a warm afternoon treat the whole family will love.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Rising or chilling
- 15 min
- Total time
- 1 hr
- Method
- Fried
Ingredients
Bananas
Batter
Frying oil
Instructions
Step 1
Whisk together 100 g rice flour, 40 g all-purpose flour, 20 g tapioca starch, 3 g baking powder, 30 g granulated sugar and a pinch of salt. Pour in 150 g coconut milk and 50 g water and stir until smooth, then add 15 g white sesame seeds and 20 g desiccated coconut and let the batter rest for about 15 minutes. The rice flour makes the coating crisp, while the all-purpose flour helps it cling to the bananas. The batter is ready when it is about as thick as drinkable yogurt and coats a spoon in a thin, even layer.
Step 2
Peel 560 g ripe bananas, place each one between two sheets of plastic wrap and press gently with the bottom of a bowl until it is about one centimeter thick. Flattened bananas cook through faster and more evenly, and they have more surface to turn crisp. They are ready when each banana has fanned out into one piece without breaking apart.
Step 3
Pour oil for deep-frying (to taste) into a deep pan and heat it over medium heat to about 170 degrees Celsius; if you don't have a thermometer, drop in a little batter to test it. Oil that is hot enough sets the coating right away so it doesn't soak up oil. The oil is ready when the drop of batter sinks and then rises straight back up with lots of tiny bubbles around the edge.
Step 4
Dip each banana into the batter so both sides are fully coated, lower it gently into the pan and fry for about 4 to 5 minutes, turning once halfway through. Frying in small batches keeps the oil temperature steady and stops the shell from going soft. The bananas are ready when the coating turns pale golden and firm and the bubbles around them start to slow down.
Step 5
Lift the bananas out and let them drain for a few minutes, then turn the heat up to high and fry them again for about one more minute. The second fry drives out the remaining moisture, so the shell stays crisp much longer. They are done when the shell is evenly deep golden and sounds dry and crunchy when you tap it with a chopstick.
Step 6
Transfer the bananas to a wire rack or paper towels and let them rest for about two minutes before serving. A rack lets the steam escape underneath, so the bottoms don't turn soggy. They are ready when the surface looks dry with no pooled oil and they still crackle when you break one in half.
Equipment
- Deep skillet
- Whisk
- Mixing bowl
- Kitchen scale
- Plastic wrap
- Wire cooling rack
Tips
- Namwa bananas that are just ripe, with a few brown spots on the peel, work best because the flesh is sweet yet still firm enough to flatten.
- You can swap the water in the batter for ice-cold water to make the coating even lighter and crispier.
- The fritters are also delicious with a drizzle of thick coconut cream or a little honey.
Storage
Banana fritters are best eaten within an hour of frying. If you have leftovers, let them cool, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for one day and re-crisp them in a 200 degree Celsius oven for about five minutes.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The batter coating slides off the bananas while frying.
- The bananas were too wet or the batter was too thin. Pat the bananas dry, dust them with a thin layer of dry flour before dipping and use a little less water in the batter.
- The fritters go soft and greasy soon after frying.
- The oil wasn't hot enough or the second fry was skipped. Keep the oil at about 170 degrees Celsius and fry them again over high heat for one more minute before lifting them out.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
