Banana Bhajias

These are a yummy sweet and salty snack. A lot like the fried bananas you find in Thai restaurants, but they're coated with a batter made from chick pea flour instead of wheat flour. I had a beginning-to-rot banana so I used it like this...but I would generally recommend just making some banana bread out of rotting bananas to avoid all the fat :)


1 banana, sliced into 1/4"-1/2" slices
1 c chick pea flour (aka graham flour)
1 c water
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
chopped cilantro (optional)
lots of oil (I use vegetable, and I avoid olive because it has a low boiling point so it's more dangerous to work with)

Combine all ingredients and coat banana slices with the batter. Heat about 2" of oil in a thick pot (I use the bottom of a pressure cooker). Oil is ready when a drop of batter in the oil doesn't sink to the bottom and sizzles and cooks instead. Add a few banana slices at a time and flip as necessary. When both sides are golden brown, remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. Eat fresh! I eat them with the cilantro-coconut chutney, but maybe that's just because I eat that chutney with most everything!