Today I wanted to post a simple recipe for Plantain fritters (called Pazham Pori in Malayalam, the local language of Kerala) made in the Keralan way! A perfect accompaniment to your late afternoon tea ! Oh yes, late afternoon tea as you can imagine is very common in Kerala with these local tea stalls (called chaaya kadas in Malayalam, ) offering snacks like Pazham Pori(plantain fritters), Parippu wada (lentil fritters) among others to satisfy the middle of the day cravings! Since the recipe in itself is not very complicated and since I will be bringing these fritters to Angie’s Fiesta Friday, I thought about putting together a short and sweet narrative describing Kerala to all those who don’t know much about this beautiful paradise on earth!
Located on the southwestern tip of India, Kerala is a beautiful coastal state and is often referred to as ‘God’s own country’!. Tall coconut trees, tranquil backwaters, green forests, vast spice and tea plantations, and white sandy beaches ….need I say more!
As for foods, Kerala will surprise you with quite a mix of vegetarian, seafood and meat dishes. Kappa and meenu curry(tapioca with fish), spicy fish fry, fluffy appams (rice hoppers), aviyal (vegetables in a coconut gravy), fish molee ( fish curry in coconut milk) , ada pradhaman (sweet pudding made out of rice and coconut milk) to name a few….(and of course you may also browse through my Kerala Recipe Index for kerala recipes that I have posted thus far!) A typical kerala sadya is a vegetarian meal with rice and anywhere between 10-15 vegetable dishes that is all served on a banana leaf.
And finally, I have created this beautiful gallery for you (my own camera shots so sorry they are not that professional! 🙁 ) to enjoy Kerala virtually with your plantain fritters and your cuppa tea! Enjoy! Don’t forget to scroll below for the recipe for plantain fritters!
Recipe for Plantain fritters
This recipe makes about 16 fritters Time Taken : About 20 minutes Ingredients: 3/4 cup all purpose flour 2 tbsp rice flour a pinch of salt a pinch of turmeric powder 1 1/4 cup water 2 ripe plantains Coconut Oil(or any other oil) for deep frying
Method:
Heat the oil in a deep pan (or a deep frier).
Peel the ripe plantains and cut each plantain into two halves first and then cut each half into 4 thin pieces. (The plantains should be really ripe. If not completely black skin at least the plantain should be a little soft to touch.)
Take a medium size mixing bowl and add the flour, the rice flour,salt and turmeric. Add the water slowly mixing well to form a smooth batter without any lumps (batter will be loose batter).
When the oil is really hot, put the heat on medium and dip the plantain pieces one at a time into the batter and fry them for about 2-3 minutes turning them once in between.
Use a slotted spoon to get them out and drain excess oil on paper towels.
Enjoy with a steaming hot cup of tea!
[…] in Kerala along with the ubiquitous Pazham Pori or plantain fritters. I had posted the recipe for pazham pori before in a post where I shared some lovely pictures of Kerala. To me nothing says Kerala more […]
Oh, nom nom!
I love fritters.
They’re not eaten enough in the US and Europe.
This is a nice idea for dessert tonight. 🙂
You are right – fritters especially plantain fritters are not very popular here in the US! Hope you get a chance to make them soon 🙂
I love the Kerala photos! My favorite is the waterfall–it’s breathtaking. Plus your fritters look great!
thanks Patty! Yes you should try and visit there sometime. And the fritters are so easy to make – all you need are some plantains! 🙂
I would love to visit one day. 🙂
Oh yum – I’ve had apple fritters, zucchini fritters, potato fritters…but never a plantain fritter! These look delicious 🙂
Thanks Nancy. Yes they are a delicious snack!
I have a fried plaintain recipe that I got long ago from some Dutch friends, Marion and Koos, who served the plaintains with fried coconut and peanuts. I have not published that post yet. Like Angie, thanks Indu for the reminder of some good times with old friends. I do appreciate your pictures – I kind of miss my world travels 🙂
You are welcome Judi. I am so glad I was able to revive pleasant memories! The dutch way with fried coconuts and peanuts sounds delicious!
I must try plantain!!! They look gorgeous x
Yes Elaine you should try plantains. They are healthy for you too!
Even better!!
Indu, you convinced me to go to Kerala 🙂
Haha Then my efforts are successful – if I can convince one person to go there!?
Thank-you for the exquisite slide show of Kerala. It looks so green and serene. Also, I love plantain fritters, but have never tried to make them. Your recipe makes it look really easy! Thanks!
Yes Juliana they are very easy to make. You should definitely try them. And I am glad you liked the pictures of Kerala!My pleasure!
[…] Indu […]
Love banana fritters! Haven’t had them in such a long time. I’ve been into banana flambé lately. I’m not sure my kids have had banana fritters. I should make these for them to try. And I appreciate the Kerala slide show. Also the banana leaf meal. I had a similar meal when I went to Singapore. It was such a memorable experience. Thanks for the reminder, Indu! XOXO
You are welcome Angie! Plantain fritters are quite similar to banana fritters although the ripe plantains taste a little different from bananas. I thought it would be good conversation at Fiesta Friday to discuss Kerala over plantain fritters and some wine perhaps! (we’ll have the tea some other time!). 🙂
Agreed about the wine and tea. I meant to say plantain, sorry. Late in the day for me, about to go night-night. This late, bananas and plantains start to look very similar! 🙂
Lol Angie I know it was really late in the night! No worries!