Pazham Pori | Banana Fritters
Pazham pori recipe with step by step pics. Pazham pori also known as ethakka appam is a popular snack from Kerala made with ripe bananas. Banana slices are coated in an all-purpose flour batter and then deep fried. A tasty vegan banana fritters recipe that makes for a good tea time snack paired with a cup of hot chai or coffee.
The bananas used to prepare pazham pori are nendram pazham. These variety of bananas are long, large and are firm even when ripe. They are used not only to make the famous Kerala banana chips but also these banana fritters and some more sweets.
Now this Nendram pazham or ethapazham is not easily available everywhere in India or outside India. So you can use firm ripe bananas. Do not use bananas that are too ripe or very soft. In the recipe also I have used ripe bananas which are sweet and yet firm. If using nendram pazham, then use the ripe ones.
However the taste of these banana fritters is awesome when made with Nendram pazham. The mushy, soft, sweet texture of the cooked bananas pairs nicely with the crispy and soft texture of the all purpose flour batter layer.
Whenever my parents go to Kerala, they get nendram pazham for me. I always steam them and have plain or at times with puttu. Its only me in our family, that has a special taste for these bananas. So I only cook it for myself 🙂
My mom used to prepare these sweet banana fritters on occasion like an evening snack for us. Also during my stay in Kerala, the hotel where we lived would serve pazham pori at least twice or thrice a week in their complimentary evening snacks menu. Apart from pazham pori, there would also be Paruppu vadai, sandwich and Aloo bonda.
Preparing these banana fritters are very easy. All-purpose flour is used for the batter. So do try to use organic all-purpose flour or unbleached all-purpose flour. For health reasons, you can use whole wheat flour too. Also some rice flour can be added to the batter to make the fritters crisp.
Serve pazham pori hot or warm as an evening snack with chai or filter coffee. You don’t need any other accompaniment with it.
How to make Pazham Pori (Banana Fritters)
1. In a mixing bowl, take ½ cup all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon sugar (optional), a pinch of turmeric powder and a pinch of baking soda. You can also add 1 tablespoon of rice flour for some crispiness.
2. Mix very well with a spoon or wired whisk.
3. Then add water in parts. I used ⅓ cup of water. Depending on the quality of the flour, you can add less or more water. If the batter becomes thin, then add some more all-purpose flour.
4. Mix to a smooth batter without any lumps.
5. The batter consistency is slightly thick so that it coats the banana slices very well. Keep aside.
6. Peel two large bananas or 3 medium-sized bananas.
7. Then first slice them horizontally in half or quarters. Then slice each piece vertically in two equal parts.
Frying pazham pori
8. Heat oil for deep frying in a pan or kadai. When the oil becomes medium hot, then the banana fritters can be fried. Dip each slice in the batter and coat it well with the batter.
9. Gently place the batter coated banana slices in the medium hot oil. Fry the slices depending on the size of the kadai or pan. Take care not to overcrowd the kadai.
10. When one side is cooked, then turn over gently and fry the other side.
11. Fry till both sides are light golden. You don’t need to fry these fritters too much. stop once the bananas start oozing out moisture into the oil and the oil begins to splutter too much. We just need to fry till the outer coating is done. A light golden is fine.
12. Remove with a slotted spoon draining extra oil in the kadai itself.
13. Keep the fried banana fritters on kitchen paper towels. In the same way, fry the remaining banana slices.
You may see some caramelisation happening on the remaining banana fritters. This is due to the moisture and sugars which have leeched into the oil while frying the first batch. Prepare the pazham pori in the same manner and keep them on kitchen paper towels, so that the excess oil is soaked up.
14. Serve pazham pori hot as an evening snack with chai or filter coffee.
Few more snacks recipes
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Ingredients
- 300 grams ripe firm bananas or 2 to 3 medium to large ripe bananas or nendram pazham
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon Rice Flour – optional
- 1 tablespoon sugar – optional
- 1 pinch turmeric powder
- 1 pinch baking soda
- ⅓ cup water or add as required
- oil as required, for deep frying
Instructions
making batter
- In a mixing bowl, take ½ cup all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon sugar (optional), a pinch of turmeric powder and a pinch of baking soda.
- Mix very well.
- Then add water in parts. I used ⅓ cup water. Depending on the type of flour, you can add less or more water. If batter becomes thin, then add some more all-purpose flour.
- Mix to a smooth batter without any lumps.
- The batter consistency is slightly thick so that it coats the banana slices very well. Keep aside.
making pazham pori
- Peel two large bananas.
- Then first slice them in half or quarters. Then slice each piece vertically in two equal parts.
- Heat oil for deep frying in a pan or kadai. When the oil becomes medium hot, then the banana fritters can be fried. Dip each slice in the batter and coat it well with the batter.
- Gently place the batter coated banana slices in medium hot oil.
- Fry the slices depending on the size of the kadai or pan.
- When one side is cooked, then turn over gently and fry the other side.
- Fry till both sides are light golden. You don’t need to fry these fritters too much. Stop once the bananas start oozing out moisture into the oil and the oil begins to splutter too much. We just need to fry till the outer coating is done. A light golden is fine.
- Remove with a slotted spoon.
- Keep the fried banana fritters on kitchen paper towels.
- In the same way, fry the remaining banana slices. You may see some caramelisation happening on the remaining banana fritters. This is due to the moisture and sugars which have leeched into the oil while frying the first batch. Prepare the pazham pori in the same manner and keep them on kitchen paper towels, so that the excess oil is soaked up.
- Serve pazham pori hot as an evening snack with tea.
Notes
- This recipe can be easily scaled.
Nutrition
This Pazham Pori post from the archives first published in December 2016 has been republished and updated on January 2022.
Very good and helpful.
Thank you.
What is “Maida” here? It’s not in the ingredients list, but is part of the instructions.
Google tells me it’s a wheat flour, but the ingredients list has rice flour, not wheat? Should a correction/clarification be made?
“Maida” is the Indian term for all-purpose flour. In this recipe, both rice flour and maida (all-purpose flour) are used. I have updated the instructions. Thanks for bringing this up.
Superb
Such a tasty thing for a sweet tooth like me!
hello dear, can v substitute baking soda wid baking powder? thanks a lot for d loveliest recipes around.. when r u pls sharing rajasthani dal baati and choorma recipe??
taru, in this recipe you can easily add one or two pinches of baking powder. thanks and i will try to add both rajasthani dal baati and choorma soon.
wow how does it tastes?
Will have to go to Kerala or try it myself by cooking it through your easy recipe and step by step useful guidance..
it tastes very good. of course with nendram bananas the taste is awesome. the mushy and sweet texture of the cooked bananas accompanies the crisp and soft texture of the maida layer very well.