Vietnamese Fried Banana Recipe

Wherever you go in Vietnam, you will find fried bananas. They are eaten hot, straight from the pan, as a quick and tasty sweet snack. More elaborately, they might be combined with one of the lovely French-style ice creams, such as creamy, pandanus-flavored kem, which is rather like vanilla ice-cream, or toasted coconut kem. The Vietnamese are fortunate enough to have a number of different types of banana to choose from, and the local beer makes the tastiest batter for coating the fruit.

Ingredients : Serves 4

1 bowl

1/2 teaspoon

For the batter

115 g

2.5 ml

45 ml

150 ml

Ripe but firm sweet bananas

Vegetable oil, for deep frying, add more if required

Caster (superfine) sugar, for sprinkling

Plain (all-purpose) flour

Baking powder

Caster (superfine) sugar

Water

Beer

Method :

To make the batter, sift the flour with the baking powder into a bowl.
Add the sugar and beat in a little of the water and beer to make a smooth paste.
Gradually beat in the rest of the water and beer to form a thick batter. Leave to stand for 20 minutes.
Peel the bananas and cut them in half crossways and in half again, lengthways. Pour enough oil for deep frying into a wok or a heavy, shallow pan.
Cook the bananas in batches, so they don't stick together in the pan.
Dip each one into the batter, making sure it is well coated, and slip it into the hot oil.
Use tongs or chopsticks for turning and make sure each piece is nicely crisp and golden all over.
Drain the fried bananas on kitchen paper and sprinkle them with sugar.
Serve immediately.