Banana fritter

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Banana Fritter
Banana Fritters and tea.jpg
Banana fritters served in Kerala, India
Type Fritter
Region or state Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent
Main ingredients Banana or plantain, batter

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.

Contents

It is commonly found in Kerala and is not served with any curry or side dishes. [1]

Varieties

Brunei

Banana fritters are a traditional snack in Brunei, where they are called cucur pisang. [1] [2] They are similar to pisang goreng in Indonesia and Malaysia. Cucur pisang madu, a variant of cucur pisang made with honey, are popular as a light afternoon meal (minum petang). [3]

Cambodia

Cambodian banana fritters at a market in Siem Reap Noum Chek Chien.jpg
Cambodian banana fritters at a market in Siem Reap

In Khmer, banana fritters are called num chek chien (នំចេកចៀន). 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. [4] 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. [5]

India

South India

Vazhakkappam in Kerala, India Pazhampori.jpg
Vazhakkappam in Kerala, India

Vazhakkappam or pazham pori (Malayalam : പഴം പൊരി), also known as ethakka appam, is a fritter food with ripened banana or plantain [6] and maida flour. A popular food item in South Indian cuisines, especially in Kerala, it is generally eaten as a breakfast or a snack. [6] [7] It is called as balekayi bajji (ಬಾಳೆಕಾಯಿ ಬಜ್ಜಿ) in Kannada, vazhakkay bajji in Tamil, and aratikaya bajji (అరటికాయ బజ్జి) 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. [8] 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. [9]

Indonesia

Indonesian roadside gorengan (fritter) peddler offering pisang goreng. Pisang goreng in a basket.jpg
Indonesian roadside gorengan (fritter) peddler offering pisang goreng.
Frying pisang goreng in Karimun Jawa Menggoreng bakwan dan pisang goreng.JPG
Frying pisang goreng in Karimun Jawa

In Indonesia, banana fritters are commonly known as pisang goreng. [10] [ page needed ] They are often sold by street vendors, [11] 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. [12] 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 crumb. Several recipes might add coconut milk or milk and vanilla extract into the batter to add aroma. [13] 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. [11] 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. [14]

Every region in Indonesia has developed various recipe for pisang goreng with a variety of different names, ingredients and cooking techniques. [12] 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. [15]

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. [16]

Pisang goreng variants

Pisang molen Pisang Molen.jpg
Pisang molen
Pisang goreng Manado, unusually served with spicy sambal roa Pisang Goreng Sambal Roa Manado.jpg
Pisang goreng Manado, unusually served with spicy sambal roa

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. [12]
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. [12]
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. [12]
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. [12]
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. [12]
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. [17]
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. [18]
Pisang goreng telanjang
Literally meaning "naked fried banana", it is fried without any batter. Salted butter or margarine are added, [12] 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. [12]

Malaysia and Singapore

Pisang Goreng as its known Goreng pisang.jpg
Pisang Goreng as its known

In Malaysia and Singapore, banana fritters are commonly known in the Malay language as pisang goreng. Other names may include cekodok pisang and jemput-jemput pisang. The style of banana fritters commonly found in these countries is made by deep frying battered plantain in hot oil. [19] It is typically consumed as a snack in the morning and afternoon. They are often sold by street vendors, [20] although it is also offered as a product at storefronts, dining establishments as well as Singapore's hawker centres. [21]

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. [22]

Philippines

Philippines maruya Maruya 01 Philippines.jpg
Philippines maruya

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

Thai banana fritters Kluai thot.jpg
Thai banana fritters

Kluai khaek (Thai : กล้วยแขก, pronounced [klûa̯jkʰɛ̀ːk] ), sometimes called kluai thot (กล้วยทอด, [klûa̯jtʰɔ̂ːt] ), 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. [23] [24]

Suriname

In Suriname, this snack is also known as bakabana (meaning fried banana in Surinamese). [25]

Vietnam

Vietnamese banana fritters Chuoi chien.JPG
Vietnamese banana fritters

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. [26]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cooking banana</span> Banana cultivars commonly used in cooking

Cooking bananas are a group of starchy banana cultivars in the genus Musa whose fruits are generally used in cooking. They are not eaten raw and generally starchy. Many cooking bananas are referred to as plantains or 'green bananas'. In botanical usage, the term "plantain" is used only for true plantains, while other starchy cultivars used for cooking are called "cooking bananas". True plantains are cooking cultivars belonging to the AAB group, while cooking bananas are any cooking cultivar belonging to the AAB, AAA, ABB, or BBB groups. The currently accepted scientific name for all such cultivars in these groups is Musa × paradisiaca. Fe'i bananas from the Pacific Islands are often eaten roasted or boiled, and are thus informally referred to as "mountain plantains", but they do not belong to any of the species from which all modern banana cultivars are descended.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banana chip</span> Chip made of banana

A banana chip is a deep-fried or dried, generally crispy slice of banana. It is usually made from firmer, starchier banana varieties like the saba and Nendran cultivars. It can be sweet or savory and can be covered with sugar, honey, salt, or various spices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indonesian cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Indonesia

Indonesian cuisine is a collection of various regional culinary traditions that formed in the archipelagic nation of Indonesia. There are a wide variety of recipes and cuisines in part because Indonesia is composed of approximately 6,000 populated islands of the total 17,508 in the world's largest archipelago, with more than 1,300 ethnic groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malay cuisine</span> Cuisine of Malay people

Malay cuisine is the traditional food of the ethnic Malays of Southeast Asia, residing in modern-day Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Southern Thailand and the Philippines as well as Cocos Islands, Christmas Island, Sri Lanka and South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fritter</span> Fried pastry usually consisting of a portion of batter with a filling

A fritter is a portion of meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables, or other ingredients which have been battered or breaded, or just a portion of dough without further ingredients, that is deep-fried. Fritters are prepared in both sweet and savory varieties.

<i>Kuih</i> Southeast Asian snack or dessert foods

Kuih are bite-sized snack or dessert foods commonly found in Southeast Asia and China. It is a fairly broad term which may include items that would be called cakes, cookies, dumplings, pudding, biscuits, or pastries in English and are usually made from rice or glutinous rice. In China, where the term originates from, kueh or koé (粿) in the Min Nan languages refers to snacks which are typically made from rice but can occasionally be made from other grains such as wheat. The term kuih is widely used in Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore, kueh is used in Singapore and Indonesia, kue is used in Indonesia only, all three refer to sweet or savoury desserts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kue</span> Indonesian bite-sized snack or dessert

Kue is an Indonesian bite-sized snack or dessert food. Kue is a fairly broad term in Indonesian to describe a wide variety of snacks including cakes, cookies, fritters, pies, scones, and patisserie. Kue are made from a variety of ingredients in various forms; some are steamed, fried or baked. They are popular snacks in Indonesia, which has the largest variety of kue. Because of the countries' historical colonial ties, Koeé (kue) is also popular in the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuchifritos</span> Various fried foods prepared principally of pork

Cuchifritos or cochifritos refers to various fried foods prepared principally of pork in Spanish and Puerto Rican cuisine. In Spain, cuchifritos are a typical dish from Segovia in Castile. The dish consists of pork meat fried in olive oil and garlic and served hot. In Puerto Rico they include a variety of dishes including morcilla, rellenos de papa, and chicharron, and other parts of the pig prepared in different ways. Some cuchifritos dishes are prepared using cooking plantain as a primary ingredient. Cuchifritos vendors also typically serve juices and drinks such as passionfruit, pineapple, and coconut juice, as well as ajonjolí, a drink made from sesame seeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Javanese cuisine</span> Cuisine of the Javanese people, Indonesia

Javanese cuisine is the cuisine of Javanese people, a major ethnic group in Indonesia, more precisely the province of Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassava-based dishes</span> Foods prepared with cassava

A great variety of cassava-based dishes are consumed in the regions where cassava is cultivated. Manihot esculenta is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banana cue</span> Banana dish from Philippines

Banana cue or bananacue is a popular snack food or street food in the Philippines. It is a portmanteau of banana and barbecue, which in Philippine English refers to meat cooked in a style similar to satay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinaypay</span> Filipino banana fritters

Pinaypay, also known as maruya, is a type of banana fritter from the Philippines. It is usually made from saba bananas. The most common variant is prepared by cutting bananas into thin slices on the sides and forming it into a fan-like shape, and coating it in batter and deep frying them. They are then sprinkled with sugar. Though not traditional, they may also be served with slices of jackfruit preserved in syrup or ice cream. Pinaypay are commonly sold as street food and food sellers at outdoor though they are also popular as home-made merienda snacks among Filipinos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bakwan</span> Indonesian vegetable fritter

Bakwan is a vegetable fritter or gorengan that are commonly found in Indonesia. Bakwan are usually sold by traveling street vendors. The ingredients are vegetables; usually beansprouts, shredded cabbages and carrots, battered and deep fried in cooking oil. To achieve crispy texture, the batter uses a mixture of flour, corn starch and sago or tapioca. In West Java bakwan is known as bala-bala and in Semarang is called badak. It is similar to Japanese yasai tenpura, Korean pajeon, Bruneian cucur, Burmese A-kyaw or Filipino ukoy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaysian Indian cuisine</span> Cuisine of ethnic Indian communities of Malaysia

Malaysian Indian cuisine, or the cooking of the ethnic Indian communities in Malaysia, consists of adaptations of authentic dishes from India, as well as original creations inspired by the diverse food culture of Malaysia. Because the vast majority of Malaysia's Indian community are of South Indian descent, and are mostly ethnic Tamils who are descendants of immigrants from a historical region which consists of the modern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka's Northern Province, much of Malaysian Indian cuisine is predominantly South Indian inspired in character and taste. A typical Malaysian Indian dish is likely to be redolent with curry leaves, whole and powdered spice, and contains fresh coconut in various forms. Ghee is still widely used for cooking, although vegetable oils and refined palm oils are now commonplace in home kitchens. Before a meal it is customary to wash hands as cutlery is often not used while eating, with the exception of a serving spoon for each respective dish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pritong saging</span> Filipino snack of fried ripe bananas

Pritong saging, also known as pritong saba, is a Filipino snack made from ripe saba or cardaba bananas sliced lengthwise and fried in oil. The bananas used are ideally very ripe, in which case it naturally caramelizes and no sugar is added. When younger starchier bananas are used, it is often eaten dipped in muscovado sugar, syrup, or coconut caramel (latik). Unlike the similar pisang goreng of neighboring countries, it is not as popular as street food. Instead it is regarded as a simple home-made snack, most commonly eaten for merienda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lumpia</span> Chinese, Indonesian and Philippine spring roll

Lumpia are various types of spring rolls from China, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Lumpias are made of thin paper-like or crepe-like pastry skin called "lumpia wrapper" enveloping savory or sweet fillings. It is often served as an appetizer or snack, and might be served deep-fried or fresh (unfried). Lumpia are Indonesian and Filipino adaptations of the Fujianese rùnbǐng and Teochew popiah, usually consumed during Qingming Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pisang cokelat</span> Indonesian cuisine

Pisang cokelat or sometimes colloquially abbreviated as piscok, is an Indonesian sweet snack made of slices of banana with melted chocolate or chocolate syrup, wrapped inside thin crepe-like pastry skin and being deep fried. Pisang cokelat is often simply described as "choco banana spring rolls". It is often regarded as a hybrid between another Indonesian favourites; pisang goreng and lumpia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indo cuisine</span> Fusion of Indonesian and European cuisine

Indo cuisine is a fusion cooking and cuisine tradition, mainly existing in Indonesia and the Netherlands, as well as Belgium, South Africa and Suriname. This cuisine characterized of fusion cuisine that consists of original Indonesian cuisine with Eurasian-influences—mainly Dutch, also Portuguese, Spanish, French and British—and vice versa. Nowaday, not only Indo people consume Indo cuisine, but also Indonesians and Dutch people.

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