Fried Battered Bananas / Banane prajite

Directions

1. In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, egg and milk. Whisk or beat well to blend.  Allow the batter to rest, covered, about one hour at room temperature.

2. In a pot or large pan, add enough lard for frying the bananas (about 3-4 inches, using less won’t make these any healthier).  Heat the lard over a high flame.

3. Meanwhile, peel the bananas and slice each one in half lengthwise, then across into chunks about 3 inches long.  When the lard is very hot, dip the banana pieces into the batter and place them into the pan.

4. Fry the chunks in the hot oil until the batter is golden brown all over.

5. Remove the bananas from the oil and drain them on a wire rack or paper towel.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cinnamon, and serve immediately.

 

Notes: To achieve crispy bananas (rather than soggy ones) your lard must be very hot (ideally 365 degrees F). Additionally, if your lard is very hot the bananas will turn golden quickly, so you can remove them quickly (they will absorb less fat), making them healthier - relatively speaking. To test the temperature of the hot lard, drop a small cube of bread in. If the cube browns in 60 seconds, the lard is ready. Don’t let the lard get so hot it smokes (if you cook over a butane tank this is more likely than over a regular kitchen stove). To obtain a high temperature without reaching the smoke point, you need particular types of fat/oils. Lard is recommended, but the oils below work as well. Sunflower oil is not recommended because it has a low smoke point making it harder to work with – but Romanians seem to use it fearlessly, so you may find it works for you too.

                                                              

Substitutions: Lard/Corn oil, soybean oil or olive oil.