Brunei Banana fritters are a traditional snack in
Brunei, where they are called . They are similar to
pisang goreng in
Indonesia and
Malaysia. , a variant of made with
honey, are popular as a light afternoon meal ().
Cambodia In
Khmer, banana fritters are called
num chek chien (). They are made by dipping flattened bananas in a thick mixture of
rice flour,
sesame seeds,
egg whites and
coconut milk seasoned with
salt and
sugar and deep frying them in hot oil until crispy and golden. The Cambodian banana fritters are more savoury than sweet and are often eaten as a
snack with
coconut ice cream as a popular accompaniment. A famous banana fritter shop in
Cambodia is
Chek Chean Pises operating since 2000 that has two locations in
Phnom Penh – at Mao Tse Tong Boulevard and Kampuchea Krom Boulevard.
India South India ,
India Vazhakkappam or
pazham pori (), also known as
ethakka appam, is a fritter food with ripened
banana or
plantain It is called as
balekayi bajji () in
Kannada,
vazhakkay bajji in
Tamil, and
aratikaya bajji () in
Telugu.
Pazham pori is principally made from bananas or plantain. Plantains are slit lengthwise after peeling and is dipped into a batter made from all-purpose flour, salt,
turmeric powder and sugar. This is then deep-fried in oil until golden brown. In the other South Indian states of
Karnataka and
Tamil Nadu, it is however prepared using
besan flour. In the state of
Kerala, banana fritters hold particular cultural and culinary significance and are commonly referred to as
pazham pori or
ethakka appam. They are typically prepared using ripe
nendran bananas, which give the fritters a distinctive flavor and texture. Unlike many other types of fritters, they are traditionally served on their own often as an evening snack accompanied by tea and are not typically paired with curries or side dishes.
Indonesia (fritter) peddler offering pisang goreng''. In
Indonesia, banana fritters are commonly known as
pisang goreng. They are often sold by
street vendors, In Indonesia
pisang goreng are deep fried in ample of cooking oil; they might be coated with batter or not.
Plantain is often used instead of banana. Traditionally, some cultivars of banana such as
pisang raja,
pisang tanduk and
pisang kepok are the most popular kinds of banana used for pisang goreng. These banana cultivars have a mild sweet and sour flavor and firm texture that will not crumble upon being fried.
Pisang raja however, has a softer texture and a fragrant aroma. The banana is often
battered and then
deep fried in ample
palm oil. Pisang goreng might be battered or plain deep fried. The
batter most commonly uses a combination of
flour, either
wheat,
rice flour,
tapioca or
bread crumbs. Several recipes might add coconut milk or
milk and vanilla extract into the batter to add aroma. Most traditional street vendors will then sell them as is, without any additional ingredients or toppings. However, more upscale
coffee shops, cafes and
restaurants serve more sophisticated
pisang goreng sprinkled with
powdered sugar,
cinnamon sugar, cheese,
jam,
condensed milk,
chocolate or
vanilla ice cream. In
Indonesia, it is consumed as a snack to accompany tea or
coffee, either in the morning or late afternoon break. Traditional
warung kopi (local coffee shops) often offer
pisang goreng and other snacks, including fritters and
kue to accompany coffee or tea. Banana fritters along other kinds of
fritters are sold on travelling carts or by street vendors throughout Indonesia. Every region in Indonesia has developed various recipe for
pisang goreng with a variety of different names, ingredients and cooking techniques.
Pisang goreng is usually sold together with other
gorengan fritters including fried tofu and tempeh. However,
Pisang goreng Pontianak are widely popular in Indonesia with certain retail outlets exclusively selling only this type of banana fritters.
Pisang goreng variants Indonesia has many varieties of
pisang goreng, including: ;
Pisang goreng kipas or
Pisang goreng Pontianak : Refers to banana cut in the shape of a fan, battered, and deep fried. The term
pisang goreng Pontianak is often used interchangeably with
pisang goreng kipas, as both have a similar fan-like shape, but the former is often filled or served with
kaya jam. ;
Pisang nugget : Small nugget-shaped fried banana. Its texture is akin to
pisang goreng pasir in that it is coated in
bread crumbs, however it is much smaller in size, similar in shape to
chicken nuggets. ;
Pisang goreng telanjang : Literally meaning "naked fried banana", it is fried without any batter. Salted butter or margarine are added,. Once fried, mofo akondro is primarily sold as street food. It is offered at a modest price by independent vendors, who sell it hot from market stalls or along busy thoroughfares, often to be eaten on the go as a quick and energizing snack.
Malaysia and Singapore In
Malaysia and
Singapore, banana fritters are commonly known in the
Malay language as
pisang goreng. Other names may include and . The style of banana fritters commonly found in these countries is made by deep frying battered
plantain in hot
oil. It is typically consumed as a snack in the morning and afternoon. They are often sold by street vendors, although it is also offered as a product at storefronts, dining establishments as well as Singapore's hawker centres. In Johor, Malaysia,
pisang goreng is commonly served with
sambal kicap, a spicy soy sauce dip that adds a savory and fiery twist to the traditional fried banana fritters.
Myanmar A dish of banana fritter cooked in thick, spicy fish sause and served with rice is claimed to have been a favourite dish of the former royal family of Myanmar.
Philippines There are numerous fried banana dishes in
Philippines. They are almost always made from
saba bananas, a native
cooking banana that is widely used in
Filipino cuisine.
Pritong saging are fried saba bananas (without batter) usually served with sugar or syrup. Bananas cooked with batter are a different dish known as
maruya, which are more commonly made mashed or sliced very thinly and spread into a fan shape. However, the most common Filipino street food dishes made from banana are
banana cue and
turon. Banana cue are fried bananas coated with caramelized sugar and served on skewers; while
turon is a type of fried dessert
lumpia unique to the Philippines and is cooked in a crepe wrapper.
Thailand Kluai khaek (, ), sometimes called
kluai thot (, ), is a popular
Thai street snack.
Kluai khaek is made from fried, floured banana commonly topped with white sesame. For the word
kluai in Thai means "banana" and
khaek literally means "guest" and is a colloquialism used for Indians, Muslims or Hindus. Assumed that the reason it was called, probably because it was adapted from the recipe of those people. At present, it can be considered as street food that is easily found in general street stalls. Often sold with other types of snacks that have similar characteristics, such as
khanom khai nok kratha,
khao mao thot, fried taro, etc. An area famous for
kluai khaek in
Bangkok is around
Lan Luang Intersection to Chakkraphatdi Phong Intersection, where it is referred to as
Nang Loeng in the
Pom Prap Sattru Phai District. Here, there are many
kluai khaek shops. The sellers will dress with aprons different colours vary according to each shop. They will carry banana bag, walk down the street and sell to those who drive through the streets and intersections in this area. In February 2018,
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has banned this type of trade from being sold on the streets.
Suriname In
Suriname, this snack is also known as
bakabana (meaning fried banana in
Surinamese).
Vietnam In
Vietnamese, banana fritters are called
chuối chiên. They are based on the French dessert
banana flambée. After deep frying, Vietnamese banana fritters are drizzled with
rum or
rice wine and ignited to further crisp them. ==See also==