Quick and Easy Banana Semolina Fritters

Quick and Easy Banana Semolina Fritters

Banana semolina fritters are perfect tea time snack and you cannot stop munching. Do you often look for snack ideas? I often like to try new snack recipes. If you are looking for delightful sweet bites to satisfy your sweet cravings, you have come to the right place. These fitters are not overly sweet, but just enough sweetness to indulge with hot piping tea. Bananas are naturally sweet, and the small variety I have used here is sweeter and flavorful. These golden brown crispy delicious fitters have a taste all to its own and are quite addictive.

Banana fritters are a staple at home. I make them all the time, especially when I have overripe bananas sitting on the counter. A fritter is an easy option and I have made them in so many different ways. If it is plantains it is always pazham pori,Pazham nirachathu or unnakaya. With regular bananas I make Thai fried bananas,sarkara appam, unniappam or unnimathuram. These semolina banana fitters is now one of my favorite recipes. It is so easy to put together and they are gone in minutes. Kiddo likes to have his share with vanilla ice cream.

I got this recipe from the worn-out pages of an old cookbook. Reading through the recipe, it sounded very unique. But I did have my fair share of mishaps and making the perfect fritters was quite a learning process. Let me share with you some of the tips I learned during the process. When I tried it the first time it turned out a little dry. I even tried soaking the semolina for half an hour. So I brought some minor changes to the recipe by adding the bananas. This time it was perfect and moist and I could not stop munching these delightful sweet bites. Bananas and eggs give it the fluffy moist and spongy inside and semolina the crispy crust. Cardamom and ghee add a pleasant aroma and taste. Try this recipe, you will surely love these yummy fritters. Serve warm as they are or dusted with icing sugar. Also try other topping syrup, honey or ice cream. Happy cooking and have fun eating them!

The type of banana you can use for this recipe

Use any type of overripe banana. I have used baby bananas. They tend to be sweeter than regular bananas. Bananas of any kind will do. Have you tried red banana? It is also very sweet and creamy You can also opt for overripe plantains.

Main ingredients in this recipe are semolina, eggs, and banana. You can alternatively use flour or wheat flour. Semolina has a sweet nutty flavor and is very crispy when fried. You can also make this recipe without eggs, it will taste just as good. Add 1 cup of water and soak the semolina for half an hour.

You can make several variations to this recipe like adding coconut flakes, toasted nuts, toasted sesame seeds, etc. You can also use jaggery or palm sugar instead of sugar for a rich molasses taste and flavor. Cardamom adds a pleasant aroma that I love about this recipe. Not a fan of cardamom? Try cinnamon, nutmeg,pumpkin spice mix or vanilla essence.

How to make Banana Semolina Fitters

Cooking time- 15 minutes
Recipe type- snack
Cuisine- Kerala/Indian


Ingredients
Semolina- 1 1/2 cup
Banana/cheru pazham-2-3
Egg- 2
milk- 1/2 cup
Sugar- 2 tbs
(according to sweet preference) 
Cardamon crushed- 5
Salt- a pinch
Baking soda- a pinch
Chopped Cashew nuts- 1 1/2 tbs
Ghee- 1/2 tsp
Oil for frying

In a bowl mix semolina flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. In bowl whisk eggs and milk.
Mash the banana and mix this into the semolina. Pour in the egg mixture, melted ghee, chopped cashew nuts, and cardamom powder.
Mix well and let it sit for half an hour. If the batter becomes too thick add a tablespoon or two of water. Your batter should not be too thick or too thin. It should able to easily slide off a spoon.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan. Keep the oil hot 375 degrees F to make crispy fritters to avoid soaking up the oil.
Pour a spoon full of batter into the oil. Spoon in five to six fitters at a time. Fry in medium flame till one side is golden and flip over to the other side and fry till both sides are golden brown. Do not use high heat. The outside will get browned up quickly and the inside will not cook properly. Drain into paper towels. Serve with tea.

You might also like,
Unni Mathuram/ Sweet Banana Balls
Sarkara Appam
Unnakaya
Pazham Pori/ Banana Fitters
Thai Fried Bananas
Neyyappam

Try it,
Hope you will all enjoy!

Ethapazham Bonda/Sweet Bonda

Ethapazham Bonda/Sweet Bonda

Bonda is a perfect tea time snack, crispy deep-fried balls with a spicy masala filling. South Indians love their fried food and bonda and chutney is a delightful combo. The recipe I am sharing today is a sweet version. It is made with sweet ripe plantains and jaggery is insanely addictive. Deep-fried goodness with the enticing flavor of plantains, ghee, and cardamom- now does that not sound appetizing? These bondas are a delightful snack that you cannot stop munching. Just like regular bondas it is crispy on the sides and still quite soft inside the fitter. It goes well with hot piping tea.

This is a no-fuss recipe and is easy to whip up. Look at the list of ingredients for sweet bonda. You would usually have these ingredients in your pantry. The sweet filling is made with ripe plantains, coconut, jaggery, and semolina/rava. The batter consists of all-purpose flour and gram flour. The filling is laced with the aroma of ghee and cardamom. Good coconut oil makes all the difference. So if possible use coconut oil for authentic and homey South Indian flavor. This recipe is very similar to Kerala Sukhiyan recipe. The filling for Sukhiyan is sweet mung bean. Here we are using ripe plantains instead.

I make this whenever I have overripe plantains sitting on the counter. Yes, plantains that are overly ripe to make fitters. Well mash them up and use to make a filling for sweet bonda. It is a quick and simple one and will be loved by both young and old. Try this recipe, you will surely love it.

Recipe for Ethapazham Bonda

Cooking time- 25 minutes
Recipe type- snack
Cuisine- Kerala

Ingredients
Ripe Plantain -3
Coconut grated- 3/4 cup
Rava- 1/3 cup
Jaggery grated-3/4 cup
Cardamon -5
Cashew nuts-6-7
Raisins-  a few
Nutmeg powder- a pinch (optional)
Ghee- 2 tsp


For the batter

Maida/All purpose flour- 1/2 cup
Gram flour- 1/2 cup
Rice flour-2 tbs (optional)
Sugar-1 tsp
salt- a pinch
baking powder- a pinch
oil for frying
To make the filling

Grate plantain or mash it with your hands. 

Melt jaggery or palm sugar in a pan with two 1/4 cup water. When all the jaggery melts, switch off the flame. Strain and set aside.

Heat ghee in a pan and roast cashew nuts and raisins, drain and keep aside.

In the same pan roast Rava/ semolina and coconut till it is golden brown. Add the grated plantain and saute for about two minutes. Pour melted jaggery and let it cook and come together like a ball. Allow this mixture to cool. Add cardamom powder, nutmeg, and the roasted cashew nuts and raisins. Mix well and make small lemon sized balls and keep aside.

To make bondas

Mix all the ingredients listed under batter. Add enough water to make a smooth batter not so thick and not so thin( idli batter consistency).

Heat oil in a pan and when it's hot enough take balls one at a time and dip into the batter and carefully drop into oil. Fry till all sides are evenly browned up. Drain on paper towel. Serve as a tea time snack.

You might also like,
Pazham Pori
Ethapazham Aval Nanachathu
Ethapazham Paal Curry
Kaya Pola/ Plantain Cake
Sweet Kozhukatta
Kadachakka Ethapazham Stew


Try this..
Hope you will all enjoy

Pazham Pori-Crispy Fried Sweet Plantain

Pazham Pori-Ethapazham pori

Pazham Pori or Ethapazham pori is a popular tea time snack of Kerala. It can be easily found in thattukadas/chayakadas in Kerala. Have you ever been to a chayakada before? They are tea stalls found in the nook and corner of Kerala.
In the olden days these stalls were the hub of the village or small communities and people used to gather morning and evening for tea, newspaper or radio news discussions. My grandmother always used to complain that my grandfather never used to drink morning tea at home. He always used to walk to the corner tea stall to drink tea, listen to the news and chat with friends..mostly discuss politics :)

Chayakadas serve tea, morning breakfast, and fitters. Pazham pori made with ripe sweet plantain is a favorite among the visitors or customers. Gone are the days of glory for these humble tea stalls but not the delicious and colorful fitters that adored their glass shelf containers. They still look mouth-watering. It is so yummy, you can't stop munching!

Pazham pori is also made at home as a quick and easy tea time snack. This is a sure winner if you have sudden guests at home. The flavor of ripe sweet plantains dipped in sweet cardamon flavored batter and then deep-fried in coconut oil to crispy golden is something that cannot be described I have added a pinch of turmeric powder for color( otherwise it will be off- white color)and once fried you will never notice any difference in taste.Give this recipe a try,you will surely love it.

Recipe for Pazham Pori

Ingredients
Ripe plantains - 3 medium
Maida-1 1/2 cup
Rice flour-2 tbs
Sugar- 2 tbs ( depending on the sweetness of plantain)
salt- a pinch
Baking powder- a pinch (optional)
Turmeric powder-a pinch
Cardamon powder- 1/3 tsp
Nutmeg powder- a pinch
oil for frying


To make the batter in a large bowl add flour, rice flour, salt and sugar, and whisk. Pour about a cup of water little by little and whisk until it forms a smooth lump-free batter. Add baking powder turmeric powder, cardamom powder, and nutmeg powder. Whisk till well blended. The batter should not too thick and not too thin. If it is too thick add a teaspoon or two of water. If thin add more flour. Let it rest for five minutes.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan.
Peel the plantain and cut into half and then slit it lengthwise. I cut three pieces lengthwise of each half.
Dip the plantains in the batter and deep fry in hot oil till golden. Flip and fry both sides till it is evenly crisp and golden brown. Drain excess oil using a paper towel. Enjoy with tea.

You might also like,
Thai Fried Bananas
Pazham Nirachathu
Pazham Boli
Pazha Pradhaman
Unni Madhuram/ Sweet Banana Balls
Ethapazham Halwa


Try this..
Hope you will all enjoy.