Pazham Pori / Ripe Banana Fritters

Pazham Pori/ Ripe Banana Fritters is one of the most common snack in any Kerala household. One of the easiest and yummy snack with a cup of tea or coffee. This snack is made from ripe Nendra variety bananas. The trick to making the best pazham pori is the ripeness of the banana. It should not be too ripe.

You will be surprised to see the variety of dishes prepared with banana in Kerala. The banana plants are put to the maximum use. We use the banana flower, banana stem, the raw banana, the ripe banana and of course the banana leaves (for sadhya and making ada). 

I still have fond memories of my summer vacation in Kerala. We used to get so excited when our flight is about to land in Kerala. The view is amazing. The only thing you can see is lush green landscape. It is so cooling to the eyes and soul. Like coconut trees one thing you will find in common in Kerala are the banana plants. Bananas are something we cannot do without any day. The variety available is amazing.

INGREDIENTS

3 Ripe  Banana (Nendra variety) also called Ethapazham
1 Cup All purpose flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
A small pinch Baking Soda
A small pinch of Salt
1 cup water*
Oli for deep frying

METHOD
Peel the bananas and thinly slice them length wise.
In a bowl mix the dry ingredients together.
Add water and make it into thick batter.
Heat oil in a kadai.
Transfer the sliced bananas into the batter.
Coat the bananas well with the batter.
When the oil is hot (not smoking hot) add in the banana pieces. About 3 at a time.
Fry both sides till golden in colour and using a slotted spoon transfer to a plate layered with kitchen tissue.
Serve hot with tea /coffee.

Tips:
You can cut the banana into 2 and then cut them lengthwise to make smaller fritters. Check the above picture.
For the authentic taste use coconut oil.
* Keep adding water till it is of thick pouring consistency.
Turmeric powder is added just for colour.
While frying, if the bananas stick to each other just separate them with the slotted spoon in the kadai itself.