Turn Extra Bananas Into This Thai Fried Banana Treat
I recently caught a glimpse of my kitchen fruit bowl and thought, “Well, this is going to be a problem.” I think my boyfriend and I both bought bags of bananas and they were all the same ripeness – too young to eat and only six days before they were overripe. This is a recipe for waste, so instead of waiting for the inevitable, I took action and made my favorite Thai banana treat, gluai haek.
In Thailand, gluai haek is a fried banana snack similar to a pancake. It is made from a miniature local variety of fruit, nam wa bananas , which is dipped in a rice flour batter with sesame and grated coconut and fried. The bananas come out of the oil with a browned, crisp shell and a soft, almost custardy interior. You really can’t eat just one. Or three. Or five. That’s why you’ll use up all those extra bananas before you know it.
The nam wa banana is sweet, firm, and the perfect size for this little snack, but you don’t need this particular variety to make an amazing Thai-style fried banana. If you can’t find baby bananas at the grocery store, use any sweet banana that is available to you. You also don’t want bananas that are too ripe – slightly greenish bananas are firm enough to hold up to frying and their subtle sweetness intensifies when cooked, whereas I’ve only used yellow bananas, which also hold up nice and creamy. after frying.
I don’t recommend using bananas that are spotty or overly ripe – they will fall apart in the batter and you’ll end up tasting too sweet. It takes some forethought, but this recipe is a great way to solve the problem of too many bananas before it becomes a problem.
How to make Thai fried bananas (gluai haek)
1. Heat the oil and knead the dough.
The batter cooks so quickly that you’ll be ready to fry while the oil is still hot. Pour neutral frying oil into a deep pan. You will only need an inch to an inch and a half of oil. Heat it over medium-low heat until it reaches 350°F. You need to keep the oil temperature between 350°F and 375°F.
While the oil is heating, add the rice flour (be sure to use regular rice flour like this one , not glutinous rice flour, which gives a chewy texture that you’re not looking for here), coconut, sugar, salt, baking powder. powder and sesame seeds into a small bowl. (Both toasted or untoasted sesame seeds will work.) Stir everything together with a rubber spatula to combine the dry ingredients. Add water and stir until dough is well combined. The dough should be loose but still coat the back of a spoon. It shouldn’t be thick like brownie batter. If you think it’s too thick, add a spoonful of water and judge the consistency from there.
2. Soak the nanners
Peel the bananas and slice them on an angle to create thick slices. Aim for one inch thick and two inches long, but work with what the banana size allows. Better thick than too thin. If they are too thin, they may fall apart in the dough. Place a few slices in a bowl and spoon the batter over them.
3. Fry them
Once the oil is hot, you can start frying. Use a fork to lift the bananas out of the batter and let any excess clumps of batter fall into the bowl. Add the crushed banana slices to the oil and fry them for about three to four minutes or until they are evenly and deeply browned. Place them on a cooling rack over a baking sheet to drain and cool for a few minutes before eating.
These sweet Thai fried banana bites are irresistible. A crunchy shell of sesame and coconut dots gives way to a perfectly silky banana core. Like most fried foods, gluay haek is really best eaten right away as they lose most of their crunchiness after a couple of hours, so snack on them!
Gluai Haek (Thai Fried Bananas) Recipe
Ingredients:
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3-4 large bananas, peeled
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¾ cup rice flour
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¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
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3 tablespoons sugar
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½ teaspoon salt
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½ teaspoon baking powder
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2 tablespoons sesame seeds
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⅔ glass of cool water
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Neutral frying oil
1. Add 1 to 2 inches of oil to a frying pan. Heat it over medium heat to 350°F.
2. In a small bowl, combine rice flour, coconut, sugar, salt, baking powder and sesame seeds. Add water and stir.
3. Slice the bananas diagonally to create thumb-sized pieces. About one inch thick and two inches long if the banana allows.
4. Dip the banana slices into the batter and use a spoon to coat the slices. Using a fork, scoop out the banana pieces, letting the excess drip off, and fry them for 3-4 minutes. The gluai haek should be well browned on all sides. Dry the fried plantains on a cooling rack for a few minutes before serving.