Pazham Pori - Plantain Fritters

 What is it about greasy food wrapped in paper and watching the sunsets? I grew up with it, my children grew up with it - and it will probably continue for generations.  Except it is different sorts of greasy foods.  My sort of greasy food is a deep fried plantain fritter served with a cup of hot chai - and watching the sun disappearing into the deep blue waters of the Arabian sea.  

We never used to be able to get the plantains in Melbourne. Those days whenever I visited my home town I would devour them in all forms with much enthusiasm. The last two years I have been able to source them fairly regularly from my local Indian grocer. I wonder if I will have the same enthusiasm for them when I visit the next time.

This recipe is my athai (aunty) Vimala's recipe. She made the most amazing plantain fritters when I visited her in Nagercoil last time. The plantains were from her mother's back yard, organic and vine ripened. Needless to say, it is the most delicious fritter I've had in a very long time.

The perfect fritter has crispy outside skin and a soft, warm and sweet plantain inside.

Ingredients:

3 very ripe plantains - firm, but it is okay for the skin to be a little black.

1 cup plain flour

2 tablespoons rice flour

1 tablespoon sugar

A pinch of salt

A pinch of turmeric powder

1 cup water

Vegetable oil for deep frying

Method:

Top and tail plantains, cut into two or three sections and then slice them into 1/2 cm slices.

In a bowl, add all the flours, sugar, salt and turmeric powder.  Add water and whisk well, making sure the flour is mixed well and not lumpy. Add water carefully, the batter should be thick so that it can coat the plantain slice evenly. The batter is about as thick as pancake batter. 

In a wok, heat oil on medium heat. Add a drop or two of the batter into the oil and if it sizzles and rises to the top, the oil is hot enough. Slide the plantain slices into the batter and then into the hot oil carefully.  Put only two or three slices at a time of the plantain ensuring they do not stick to each other.

Once the skin is evenly golden, take it off the oil and leave it on kitchen paper towels to absorb the excess oil.  Serve hot with a cup of tea - perfect for the beach or just at home on a lazy Sunday autumn afternoon.

A spectacular sunset at Alleppey Beach, by the Arabian Sea.