Fried Bananas in Batter with Honey and Walnuts
Strange as it may seem, the banana is a grass. More precisely, it is a perennial herbaceous plant native to the tropics of Southeast Asia. They say the bananas we are used to are cultivated varieties bred by people. Back when I was a kid, foreign students, mostly from Africa, were often brought to our school for a kind of educational talk on how colonialists mistreated the locals in Africa. To be honest, I barely remember what it was all about, but one phrase stuck with me for good: “The bananas they ship to you, we don't eat.”
Over the past ten years I have travelled to many countries in the East and made sure that “our” bananas are not really eaten there. What people eat are small, very sweet bananas, apparently dessert varieties.
I remember in Turkey our bus stopped by a banana plantation, and for a couple of dollars we bought a huge bunch of small, incredibly tasty bananas with sweet, tender flesh. Everyone on the bus ate their fill. These “little ones” are sometimes sold here too, but rarely and at a high price.
Some 20–25 years ago, the idea of frying bananas or making banana fritters was close to sacrilege. How could you fry, in other words waste, something that was in total shortage and was “allotted” to citizens for special merit, or rather for special status?
But everything in the world changes. Bananas are no longer scarce; they are common and affordable. And the fashion for Asian cuisine has brought us many really tasty banana dishes: salads, desserts and even soups.
I can't say anything about banana soup, I haven't tried it. But the dessert of fried bananas drizzled with honey and sprinkled with nuts has caught on very well. It is a really delicious dish. Fried bananas are easy to make, even with no preparation at all.
Ingredients
6 servings
- Bananas 6-8
- Egg 1
- Vegetable oil 100 ml
- Natural honey 2-3 tbsp
- Milk 100 ml
- Walnuts (kernels) 1 tbsp
- Vanilla, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, flour to taste
Step-by-step recipe
- Bananas are not only eaten raw. On the Indonesian islands, bananas grilled over coals are a traditional dish. In Costa Rica, bananas are made into a thick syrup that forms after peeled fruit is boiled for a long time. In Latin American countries a popular dish is maduros, diagonal slices of banana fried in oil. And banana chips! A true classic. And, of course, fried bananas as a dessert.
- Greenish bananas are best. Overripe, “tired” ones can simply go soft during frying and turn into mush. I don't think buying slightly green bananas will be a problem.
- The vegetable oil should preferably be odorless, refined.
- Frying bananas means deep-frying. Without a deep fryer, that is a bit tricky. We'll make do with a deep pan with a rounded bottom. If you have a Chinese wok, perfect. If you have neither a wok nor a suitable pan, it's better to fry the bananas in a small saucepan.
- Peel the bananas. In case anyone doesn't know, the peel is not edible.
Then cut the bananas into small pieces, for example into three. Preferably on the diagonal.
- Make the batter, which is what you dip the banana in before frying; it is similar to the batter for fish.
- Crack the egg into a bowl, add a pinch of vanilla, 1 tsp of sugar, a pinch of cinnamon and a pinch of grated nutmeg. Whisk everything with a mixer until foamy. Add 1 tbsp of flour and mix again.
- While still whisking, add milk (or boiled water) in small portions. The batter should be like fairly thick sour cream; you can adjust the consistency with milk and flour.
- Pour the vegetable oil into the pan (wok, saucepan). Heat the pan well, until the oil starts to crackle. If the oil has a smell, heat it thoroughly first to burn it off.
- Dip the banana pieces in the batter and put them straight into the pan.
- Quickly fry the bananas over high heat until golden brown.
- Then turn the heat down to “below medium” and keep frying for another 5–7 minutes so the bananas get soft inside. The whole frying usually takes 10–12 minutes.
- Put the fried fruit on a plate. If the batter has soaked up too much fat, you can blot the bananas with a paper towel.
- Drizzle the bananas with honey to taste. Sprinkling them with grated walnuts is a great touch.
- Serve the fried bananas hot.
| Yield: | 6 servings |
| Calories: | 228 |
| Prep: | 15 mins |
| Cooking: | 15 mins |
| Ready in: | 30 mins |
| Category: | Desserts and Drinks |
| Cuisine: | Chinese cuisine |
| Rating: |
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4.4
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