Crispy banana fritters

Treat the family to Indonesian-style banana fritters for dessert. They’re cooked using a batter that includes sesame seeds for added crunch.


Ingredients

  • Neutral oil, like rapeseed, sunflower or vegetable, for deep-frying
  • 10 ripe apple or saba bananas, peeled (see tip, below), or 5 overripe plantains, peeled and halved (or cut into thirds if they’re very big)
  • 100g plain flour
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbsp white sesame seeds

Nutrition per serving

  • Fat 4g
  • Saturates 0.4g
  • Carbs 19g
  • Sugars 7g
  • Fibre 1g
  • Protein 1g
  • Salt 0.1g

Steps

  • 1

    Pour the oil into a saucepan to a depth of 5cm and heat to 170C.
  • 2

    Meanwhile, mix the batter ingredients with 200ml ice-cold water and ¼ tsp salt in a large bowl until fully combined.
  • 3

    Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • 4

    Check the oil is ready.
  • 5

    Dip a piece of banana into the batter.
  • 6

    Gently lower into the oil and fry until crisp and golden brown, about 3 mins.
  • 7

    Repeat with all the banana pieces and batter, regulating the oil temperature so that it doesn’t get too hot.
  • 8

    Put the cooked fritters on a baking tray in a low oven to keep warm, then drain on a cooling rack over a baking tray lined with kitchen paper.

Tips

Saba and apple bananas are best for this, and can be sourced from Asian grocery stores. The next best alternative is plantains, but make sure they’re very ripe and brown.