Simple, practical, and full of everyday flavour, Kerala Banana Chips Recipe is a gluten-free, vegan Kerala, South Indian snacks, starters made with simple everyday ingredients in about 55 minutes. The recipe lays out the ingredients and each cooking step clearly, so you can adjust seasoning, texture, and serving size for your own kitchen.
Recipe Snapshot
- Prep time: 35 minutes
- Cook time: 20 minutes
- Total time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 1 · 1 Jar
- Category: Snacks, Starters
- Cuisine: Kerala, South Indian
Ingredients
- 3 or (500 to 550 grams) nendran bananas (- unripe)
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1.5 cups coconut oil
- mandoline slicer
- mesh strainer or kitchen paper towels
- splatter screen or mesh screen
Method
Preparation
- Rinse 3 unripe nendran bananas and dry them with a clean kitchen towel. The bananas have to be completely unripe with a green skin.
- In a large bowl take 4 cups water and add 1 teaspoon turmeric powder.
- Mix very well with a spoon.
- Now peel the nendran plantains. Don't throw away the peels. With the peels you can make delicious banana peel thoran.
- Halve the peeled bananas and place them in the turmeric water for 30 to 40 minutes. They should be completely immersed in the water.
- Before frying, take ½ cup water in another bowl along with 1 tablespoon salt.
- Mix very well. Keep the salt solution aside.
- Now take two banana pieces and wipe them dry with a clean kitchen towel.They should be thoroughly dried before you slice them. Ensure there are no water droplets or any moisture on them.
Making kerala banana chips
- Heat 1.5 cups coconut oil in a kadai for deep frying. If you do not have coconut oil, then you can use sunflower oil or any oil for frying. Keep the heat to medium.
- For slicing bananas its better to use a mandoline slicer as the slices are thin. Thin slices make for crispy chips.
- Add a thin slice of one or two banana chips in the oil. If they come up steadily on top, the oil is ready. The oil has to be medium hot, so fry on medium heat. Do not fry on low heat as the banana chips will absorb too much oil.
- Using the mandoline slicer directly slice the banana over the oil. Be careful while doing so. Alternatively you can slice the banana chips in a tray or plate and add the slices in the oil.
- As soon as you add the slices stir them with a slotted spoon. Do not overcrowd the kadai with the banana slices while frying.
- Begin to fry on medium heat and in between you can turn over the banana chips.
- Keep on turning them and frying until they become lightly crisp.
- Then sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the salt solution on the oil. For a more salty taste you can sprinkle 2 teaspoons salt water. But be careful when doing this as the oil sizzles and splutters a lot.
- As soon as the oil bubbles and sizzles, quickly cover the kadai with a splatter screen or mesh screen (if you have one) or else skip. With the splatter screen the oil does not splutter outside.
- After adding the salt solution, continue to fry until the sizzling and bubbling sound stops.
- The banana chips will be completely crispy and when you move them towards the side of the pan, you will hear a crispy sound.
- With a large slotted spoon, remove the banana chips draining the extra oil in the kadai.
- Place the chips in a large mesh strainer which is placed below a pan or bowl. This helps in draining the extra oil if any.Alternatively you can also place the fried banana wafers on kitchen paper towels.
- This way fry the banana chips in batches. While frying the later batches, if the chips taste too salty, then you can opt to add ½ teaspoon of the salt solution to the hot oil.
- As soon as the banana wafers cool down at room temperature, place them in a jar. Cover tightly and store at room temperature.
- Enjoy Nendran Banana Chips as a snack.
Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note
Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.
