Banana fritters are street food in Vietnam, particularly in Saigon. Locals set up small stands and make these delicious street treats to order. Here I’ve taken the liberty of adding a sauce for dipping these delicious bites. It’s not traditional but it’s oh so good!
The Recipe
by volume by weight
coconut caramel:
1/2 cup sugar 99 grams sugar
1/3 cup water 160 grams water
1/2 cup coconut milk 120 grams coconut milk
2 tablespoons butter 28 grams butter
1/4 teaspoon salt 1 gram salt
fritters:
1/3 cup all purpose flour 80 grams all purpose flour
2 tablespoons rice flour 20 grams rice flour
2 tablespoons sugar 25 grams sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt 1 gram salt
1 large egg 68 grams egg
1/4 cup milk 60 grams milk
6 lady finger bananas 360 grams lady finger bananas
Directions
For the caramel, place the sugar and water in a saucepan and, without stirring, bring to the boil. Be sure that all of the sugar is wet.
Let the sugar cook to a medium amber and then add half of the coconut milk.
The mixture will boil furiously. Remove from the heat and add the remaining coconut milk, butter, and salt. Stir until the butter is completely melted. Cool.
For the fritters, mix the dry ingredients together until combined. Add the egg and mix until no lumps remain.
The batter will be rather thick at this point. Add the milk in a slow stream and whisk to combine, making sure not to develop any lumps. Let the batter sit for 15 minutes.
Heat 2 inches of oil to 350F in a sauce pan or skillet. Test to see if the oil is hot by dipping the end of a spoon or fork into the batter and then into the oil. It should sizzle immediately and begin to cook.
Peel the bananas and press with your hand to flatten just slightly.
Dip the banana in the batter to coat completely and place gently in the oil. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown on each side.
I like to dust my banana fritters with cinnamon sugar. Do this while the fritters are still hot from frying. Place the bananas on a serving plate and drizzle with the caramel. Dust with toasted sesame seeds if desired.
Alternatives
Lady finger bananas are this size.
If you can’t find lady finger bananas, regular bananas will work just fine. Cut them into 2 or 3 inch lengths and fry as above.
I used cinnamon sugar but vanilla sugar, cardamom, or star anise would also be terrific with the bananas. You could also leave the fritters plain and just dip them in the caramel.
If you can’t find rice flour, you can simply leave it out. It adds a bit more crunchiness to the banana fritters but they will still be wonderful without it.
