Chinese Crispy Deep Fried Battered Bananas

For today, how about a classic western Chinese dessert! ;D An interesting fact is that both in Portugal and much of the world, Chinese restaurants are mostly Cantonese restaurants that have modified their menus and recipes to adjust to local tastes, so many of the recipes differ from actual Cantonese cuisine. This dessert is a classic Western Chinese restaurant staple, you know, the kind of place with the red booths and the lazy Susan. The most common desserts are fried items and crêpes, usually featuring ice cream, banana, apple, or other fruits coated in batter and fried, served with whipped cream or ice cream.

So today I went ahead and tried to recreate the fried bananas recipe. Normally I’m more of a fried ice cream person hahaha, but I also love the bananas! The ideal thing for this recipe is to have bananas that are almost ripe but still kinda hard, because the heat will make them softer, creamier, and caramelize the banana’s sugars a bit. An overly ripe banana will lose that texture. Otherwise, the final result is delicious, crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside. If you love bananas, you’re going to adore this, but you can easily make this recipe with apple, pineapple, peaches, as long as the fruit is very dry before coating it in the batter. Super easy and absolutely delicious, often served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side! Let’s get to the recipe!

Chinese Crispy Deep Fried Battered Bananas

Servings: 3
Time: 45mins
Difficulty: Normal
Rating: ★★★★★
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Oh oh banana lovers this one is for you! Nothing like a crispy on the outside creamy on the interior fried bananas, you gotta tried it!

Ingredients

Flour – 120g
Sugar – 30g
Salt – A Pinch
Nutmeg – A Pinch
Egg – 1
Sunflower Oil – 7.5ml (or any cooking oil of your choice)
Milk – 60ml
Vanilla – 5ml (Extract)
Sunflower Oil – for frying (or any cooking oil of your choice)
Bananas – 3
Honey – To Taste

Directions

Start by preparing the batter. In a bowl, combine the sifted flour, sugar, a pinch of salt, and nutmeg, and mix well.

Then add the egg, oil and vanilla, and whisk vigorously until you have a smooth cream. You want something between the consistency of pancakes and crepes, not too liquid and not too solid.

Heat the oil and slice the bananas, ideally diagonally to create longer banana slices.

When the oil is hot, dip each banana slice in the batter and fry on both sides until golden brown. Don’t fill the pan with too many at once.
Remove the fried bananas when they are golden brown and place them on a large plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil or a draining rack.
And that’s it! Serve them plain, with a drizzle of honey, ice cream, whipped cream, powdered sugar, whatever you like. Bon appétit!

Tips & Notes: The batter consistency is key, aim for something that coats the banana well but isn’t too thick. If it’s too thin, add a little more flour; if too thick, add a splash of milk.

Make sure your oil is hot enough (around 180°C / 350°F) before frying. If the oil isn’t hot enough, the bananas will absorb too much oil and become greasy instead of crispy. You can keep the oil at a consistent temperature by not overcrowding the pan and allowing it to come back to temperature between batches.

Don’t use overly ripe bananas with brown spots, they’ll turn mushy when fried. Choose bananas that are yellow but still slightly firm. Cut the bananas on a diagonal for longer, more elegant slices that look more like what you’d get at a restaurant.

These are best served immediately while still hot and crispy. The contrast between the hot crispy batter and cold ice cream is absolutely perfect!

Another common banana dessert is to fry the banana (usually in butter) in small or long slices and then season it with honey, sugar, cinnamon, and serve it with ice cream, pancakes, French toast, yogurt, or oatmeal.

This recipe works beautifully with other fruits too, try apple slices, pineapple chunks, or even peach slices. Just make sure the fruit is patted completely dry before dipping in the batter.

This recipe for Chinese Crispy Deep Fried Battered Bananas was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Banana Frita num Polme foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.