Thank you World Market for sponsoring this banana chips recipe post as part of their Best Exotic Mariglod Sweepstakes. As always, all ideas and opinions are 100% my own.
My husband and I recently ate at a new restaurant where they served us plantain chips, which I was a bit skeptical of at first. That is, until I took my first bite! After eating the entire serving of them, I knew that I had to try making them myself at home. They tasted SO delicious!
Although plantains aren’t readily accessible here, you can easily substitute green, unripe bananas to make the fried chips, which I did. The banana chips I made tasted great and were actually really simple to make, so I wanted to sharehow I made them with you. Fried banana chips are served in Kerala in the southwestern tip of India. They are a popular snack there, and now I know why… theyare quite addicting!
I found most of what I needed to make these banana chips at World Market, which probably doesn’t surprise you. World Market carries an amazing variety of international food, including Indian food, as well as lots of home decor and kitchen items too. I can be found at World Market on a weekly basis, and love that I can always find something new and exciting there to bring home!
For my banana chips recipe, I bought a large authentic stainless steel Indian kadhai,an essential cooking tool in almost every Indian kitchen.
I also picked up some mesh strainers, organiccoconut oil, and some wood salad bowls, also made in India, from World Market.
Here are the steps I took to create these delicious banana chips. If you try these, I promise that you will not be disappointed!
Banana Chips
Ingredients:
- 2-3 very green unripe bananas
- 1 cup coconut oil
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
Supplies:
- Kadhai (or other pan for frying)
- Slicer (on a grater) or mandolin
- Mesh strainer or slotted spoon
- Plate with a paper towel layer on top
Directions:
Step 1. Heat the 1 cup of coconut oil in the kadhai on medium heat. While the oil is heating up, use a butter knife to cut a thin line down the green banana through the peel (but not through the banana), so that it is easier to peel. Because the banana is unripe, the peel will be harder to remove, and cutting the peel makes it easier. My cheese shredder has a slicer on one side of it, so I placed my slicer above my kadhai, and sliced some banana pieces that fell right into the hot oil underneath.
Be careful! The oil is hot and can burn you, and remember that the kids shouldn’t be around the stove when you are making these.
Repeat until the panis somewhat filled with bananas, but not too full. If you overfill, the pieces will start to stick.
Step 2. Use the slotted soon (or a wooden spoon) to carefully keep the banana pieces moving in the hot oil. You want them to cook evenly and not burn. Once both sides of the banana chips are a light golden brown, they are cooked. Use a mesh strainer or slotted spoon to carefully remove the chips.
Place them on a plate with paper towels on it to absorb the oil. Repeat the process until you have the amount of banana chips that you would like.
Step 3. Place all of the cooked banana chips into a large bowl, add sea salt and black pepper, and stir until all the chips are evenly coated. Once cool, place in an airtight container as soon as possible so that they chips will remain crunchy.
I served my banana chips to my family in agorgeous wood bowl from India, and they were a hit! They don’t taste sweet like I thought they would, but have a very pleasant mild flavor that is accentuated with the salt and pepper.
They almost tasted a bit like thin potato chips. Maybe one day I’ll make it to India to try the real thing!
Speaking of India, right now through March 27th you can enter to win an epic adventure to India, inspired by the film Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. The grand prize package includes a trip for 2 to India (6-day trip includes airfare, accommodations and excursions), free movies for two for a year, and a $1,000 WM gift card. Definitely worth entering, right?! Be sure to enterHERE.
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (in theaters March 6)is the dream of Sonny (Dev Patel),whohas his eye on a property now that his first venture, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the Elderly and Beautiful, has only one spot left. This causes some trouble for the latest arrivals to the hotel. Richard Gere, Tamsin Grieg, Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, and my personal favorite, Maggie Smith, all star in this star-studded cast. While planning a traditional Indian wedding, an unexpected way to sort through everything presents itself. You can watch the official trailer for the movie HERE.
Enjoy, and don’t forget to enter the sweepstakes to win a trip to India!If you make try making these banana chips, leave a comment and let me know what you think! I just can’t get enough of them!
