kele phodi recipe with step by step pics – crispy as well as tasty banana fry made with unripe bananas or plantain. these are also known as kelyache kaap.
veggie fritters are called as phodi in konkani language and kaap in marathi language. the veggies are sliced and marinated with spices, later to be coated with rice flour or rava (sooji or cream of wheat) and then shallow or deep fried.
i make raw banana phodis quite regularly to go as a side dish with a main course of dal-rice or sambar-rice or usal-rice or kadhi-rice. i also prepare phodis or kaap with veggies like suran (yam), brinjal (baingan), okra (bhindi) and colocasia (arbi).
i do add a bit of souring agent like lemon juice or vinegar to the plantain slices, but this can be skipped. the spice powders added in this recipe make the kele phodi slightly on the spicier side. so you can reduce the amount of spice powders as per your needs.
making this crispy plantain fry is easy and it goes very well as a side dish. though you can also serve raw banana fry as a snack. few more raw banana recipes, you can check are:
- vazhakkai fry
- raw banana fry (kerala style)
- banana bajji (pakoras)
- banana varuval
if you are looking for more veggie recipes then do check:
kele phodi
ingredients (1 cup = 250 ml)
- 2 medium plantains (raw banana)
- ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice, add as required
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch powder)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder (kali mirch powder)
- salt as required
- ¼ cup rice flour or besan or rava
- 2 to 3 tablespoons oil or add as required
how to make kele phodi
marinating banana slices
rinse 2 medium plantains and then scrape off or peel the outer skin. i usually lightly scrape and remove the black spots if any. slice them in slices of 3 to 4 mm thickness.
add ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice. 1 teaspoon gives a slightly sour taste in the banana slices.
then add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper powder and salt as required. mix very well. for a less spicy version add ¼ turmeric powder, ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chilli powder and ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder.
mix very well and marinate for 10 minutes.
in a small plate, take ¼ cup rice flour. rava (sooji) or besan can be used instead of rice flour. at times i even use rava. also heat 2 to 3 tablespoons oil in a tawa or frying pan.
take each slice and place it on the rice flour.
coat banana slices with the rice flour.
shake off the excess rice on the plate and then place the plantain slices in the oil.
making kele phodi
fry on medium flame. let one side become crisp and light golden.
then turn over, fry the second side till it becomes crisp and light golden.
flip a couple of times more for even frying. fry till the banana slices are crisp and golden. this way fry the banana slices in batches of two or three. add more oil if required.
remove the fried plantain slices and place them on kitchen paper towels.
serve raw banana fry hot or warm as a side dish with a south indian or goan main course. you can garnish with few coriander leaves if you want.
how to make kele phodi
1. rinse 2 medium plantains and then scrape off or peel the outer skin. i usually lightly scrape and remove the black spots if any. slice them in slices of 3 to 4 mm thickness.
2. add ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice. 1 teaspoon gives a slightly sour taste in the banana slices.
3. then add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper powder and salt as required. mix very well. for a less spicy version add ¼ turmeric powder, ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chilli powder and ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder.
4. mix very well and marinate for 10 minutes.
making kele phodi
5. in a small plate, take ¼ cup rice flour. rava (sooji) or besan can be used instead of rice flour. at times i even use rava. also heat 2 to 3 tablespoons oil in a tawa or frying pan.
6. take each slice and place it on the rice flour.
7. coat banana slices with the rice flour.
8. shake off the excess rice on the plate and then place the plantain slices in the oil.
9. fry on medium flame. let one side become crisp and light golden.
10. then turn over, fry the second side till it becomes crisp and light golden. flip a couple of times more for even frying. fry till the banana slices are crisp and golden. this way fry the banana slices in batches of two or three. add more oil if required.
11. remove the fried plantain slices and place them on kitchen paper towels.
12. serve raw banana fry hot or warm as a side dish with a south indian or goan main course. you can garnish with few coriander leaves if you want. although not traditional, but on occasions, i also sprinkle some black salt on the phodis. you can also sprinkle some chaat masala if you want.
Hi Dassana ,,,I am a konkani,once I have eaten this at my native place ,,,,I loved it very much but didn’t know how to make it,,,as we prepare kelephodi by making batter of either besan or rice flour with red chilli powder turmeric etc and dip kele and deep fry ,,,,thanks for this recipie it’s a healthier and of course my favourite ,,,,will prepare and share my experience but I know what you shared is a correct recipie
thanks kavitha 🙏. i will also be sharing vangyache kaap soon. i often make phodi or kaap with dal or khichdi as a side dish. do let me know how the recipe turns out for you.