I’m very excited to share this post with you. The reasons are twofold – one, I never thought, I could make banana chips at home. I always thought it’s too complicated and time consuming. Well,I admit, it’s a bit time consuming and complicated – no way! But the excitement is mainly because of the second reason.
It all started last week, when I was thinking about the Onam special post for MM. I, initially thought of making Payasam. After going through the site, I realised I’ve covered the basic Payasam recipes. I agree, there are a lot more variety Payasam recipes which I could try. But, as I’ve told you before, when it comes to food for Onam,Christmas etc; I like to keep it traditional. I didn't want to try some Payasam for the sake of variety.
That’s how I even considered the option of Banana Chips. Honestly, I thought it will end up in my never ending “to try” list. I dont know whether Universe conspired or anybody else conspired, out of all odds, I decided to give it a try. Usually, when I’m about to try something of which I’ve no idea whatsoever, I google or ask somebody who has tried it. This time, I decided to go with the second option and get expert help.
I called Mummy (Jose’s mom) since she often makes it. I asked her all the details, how, when and why. After talking to her, I felt a bit more enthusiastic about the whole idea. But after two days, the sweetest thing happened! When I checked my mail, I had three mails from Daddy (Jose’s dad). All three mails were detailed step by step pictures of making chips :) Having seen me taking photos, Daddy made sure that I had different angles of each photo, that too well lit pictures! I was really touched!
I decided that I’ll use their pictures and make this as Mummy’s guest post. After all, that’s the least I could do for the strongest ever cheerleaders of MariasMenu! A big “Thank You” to both Daddy & Mummy, for taking time and effort for us :)
Now, about the recipe – as I’ve said, it’s a bit time consuming, but a simple and easy recipe. Dont worry about the length of the recipe, I’ve just tried to explain the procedure in detail. I really do hope that you give this a try. IT’S REALLY WORTH IT!
Here is the recipe…
Score the banana skin from top to bottom, along the ridges. This helps to peel the banana easily…
Cut the banana into thin slices, using a slicer or knife. (If you are using a slicer, keep 2-3 tbsp of oil in a small bowl and dip the tip of the banana in the oil after 2-3 slice. This helps you to slice the banana easily and also keeps the slices separate). Separate the slices and keep aside…
Heat oil in a deep and wide pan for deep frying. Heat the oil on medium – high flame. Reduce the temperature to low and add the sliced bananas. Make sure the pieces are not sticking together and also the pan is not crowded. Once you add enough slices for a batch, increase the flame to medium – high. Gently stir the chips using a slotted spoon. Cook for 2-4 mins…
Once the chips are almost crisp, you can hear a crackling sound. Add 1 – 1.5 tsp of salt mixture to the chips. Be careful while adding this, since oil bubbles up a lot. Once the bubbling sound,settles down, cook for a min or so and start removing the chips using a slotted spoon. Drain the chips on paper towel…
Please read the “notes” section before proceeding with the recipe.
Ingredients
- 1/2 kg Raw Banana (Pacha Kaya)
- 1/2 - 1 tsp Salt (dissolved in 1 tbsp water)
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder (optional)
- Oil (for deep frying, refer notes)
Instructions
- Wash the bananas and pat them dry with a tissue paper.Score the banana skin from top to bottom, along the ridges. This helps to peel the banana easily.
- Cut the banana into thin slices, using a slicer or knife. (If you are using a slicer, keep 2-3 tbsp of oil in a small bowl and dip the tip of the banana in the oil after 2-3 slice. This helps you to slice the banana easily and also keeps the slices separate). Separate the slices and keep aside.
- Heat oil in a deep and wide pan for deep frying. Heat the oil on medium - high flame. To test whether the oil has reached the correct temperature, add a single slice. If the oil starts bubbling and the slice pops to the top immediately, the oil is ready.
- Reduce the temperature to low and add the sliced bananas. Make sure the pieces are not sticking together and also the pan is not crowded. Once you add enough slices for a batch, increase the flame to medium - high. Gently stir the chips using a slotted spoon. Cook for 2-4 mins (refer notes). Once the chips are almost crisp, you can hear a crackling sound. Add 1 - 1.5 tsp of salt mixture to the chips. Be careful while adding this, since oil bubbles up a lot. Once the bubbling sound,settles down, cook for a min or so and start removing the chips using a slotted spoon. Drain the chips on paper towel.
- Follow the same procedure with the remaining batches. Once the chips cool completely, store it in an airtight container. It can be stored for 2-3 weeks.
Notes
If you want you can add turmeric along with salt or you can immerse the peeled banana in turmeric water for 10-15 mins. Pat them dry with tissue paper or clean kitchen towel and slice them.
I used Sunflower oil for frying, but for the authentic taste, you can use Coconut oil for frying.
If you are making the chips for the first time, I suggest you use the smallest burner to have a better control of the heat. Though I've mentioned, 2-4 mins of frying initially, keep a close watch after 2 mins, since the time varies depending on the heat level and also on the thickness of the slice.
Also make sure that the slices are separated while adding to the oil, otherwise it will be clumped together and undercooked.
Since my slices were very thin and had a big tendency to stick together, I arranged it separately on a plate and added it two at a time.
Keep in mind that if you are frying several batches, the oil already has salt from the earlier batches, so add less qty of salt in the later batches. Do a taste test in between to see the salt level and add accordingly.
I love bananas and this is a great article, very useful for a banana lover like me. Thank You For Sharing!
Glad you found it useful :)
Hi
Good & simple recipe
Did you use normal green/raw banana or green ethakaya /plantain?
Thanks, Reina. I used green/raw banana.You can use ethakka to make sweet chips.
Hi Maria, just posted a question on yr FB comment. Wanted to know if the pacha kaya used is also called kari vazhaka(in Malayalam), which is used for Avial etc. I live in Perth and can’t get nyendra kaya(plantain). Pls advise. Thnx very much Maria
How can one miss the Kerala banana chips! I work in Canada for OceanPalate, the owner are from Kerala and to every visit this are on my hot list!
Hi Andrew,
Good to know that Banana chips found a place on your list :)
Cheers
Maria
Well, I never thought that I could make one of these snacks at home but as I can see it is worth of trying. Thank you very ,much for this post. God bless,
Hi maria
Where do i post a comment for your carrot cake? I have been searching for that section for the past few days…saw that i can post here but not on the page for carrot cake…is it meant to be like that?sorry if i’m being silly :)
Hi Sarah,
You can use the search box right on top of the site to look for the recipe. Anyways, here’s the link to carrot cake: https://mariasmenu.wpcomstaging.com/desserts/carrot-cake, if you are looking for the cake with icing, here is the link: https://mariasmenu.wpcomstaging.com/favourites/moist-carrot-cupcake-with-cream-cheese-frosting
Cheers
Maria
Oh i think you misunderstood maria…i got the carrot cake page and made it too ?…but i wanted to post a comment on how good the cake was on that page but it is not there on the page for carrot cake…i meant the “post comment” section is missing on the carrot cake page…i am able to view that section on all other recipe pages but not on the page with the carrot cake recipe…
Hi Sarah,
so sorry dear for the confusion, I got it now :) Yes, the comments were off that post somehow. Anyways, I’ve corrected it now and you can share your comment there. Thanks a lot for letting me know about it. I do hope you liked the carrot cake.
Cheers
Maria
I would add two tips to this recipe based on how my dad and I used to make banana chips (he’s no more). Avoid adding turmeric powder — it changes the original taste of the banana. Turmeric powder was traditionally added because people used to cut/slice the bananas onto paper sheets that absorbed the moisture and make the banana slices look pale. This leads to my second tip — avoid slicing onto paper or a plate. Slice straight into the hot oil, as we used to do in my home. This is a little difficult because of the heat but use some protective covering for your hand that holds the slicer and you should be fine.
Hi Raju,
Thanks for taking time to share your tips here. I’ve mentioned in the post that Turmeric powder is optional. About slicing directly, from my experience, I think for a first timer, it’s safer to slice on to a plate rather than slicing directly into the frying pan :)
Cheers
Maria
Good Post…Congrats…Explained well in detail , so any one interested can easily have a try..
Thank you so much :)