Gateaux Banane/Banana Fritters

Let’s go Bananas today as I gear myself up to sharing one of my childhood recipes. Bananas are a much loved fruit, full of energy to boost up the day – eaten on its own, chopped and mixed in breakfast, baking and so much more that can be done with this energy booster fruit. Bananas never go to waste in my home, no matter how sad and black skinned they look – they get transformed as soon as I get my hands on them. Please don’t tell me you throw stale sad looking bananas in the bin……that would be too sad. Not when you can turn them into these gorgeous plump looking goodies.

I am a big fan of banana fritters, these fritters are such a popular day time snack in Mauritius. They are made on any occasion, every day is a special day as we want to be – and when it comes to making banana fritters you don’t need to look too far but your fruit basket.

Since I was little I have always liked banana fritters, mum used to make these often for us, we were never disappointed coming back from school and almost every day have a little treat to accompany our mid-afternoon tea breaks. I am sure many of you must already be familiar with this recipe.

Don’t freak with the thought of these are deep fried, trust me they do not soak up a lot of oil while frying. I am always playing around in the kitchen and this time I decided to add Semolina flour to the batter as well as desiccated coconut. Ever so pleased with the results, it gives more dimension and texture to these fritters with additional texture. To wrap up the recipe trial in one word – awesome. So before this was forgotten I decided to write the recipe up quickly as it’s definitely one to save in my recipe folder. To finish off with granulated sugar and cinnamon.

Perfect to share with friends and family and enjoyed with a lovely cup of tea.

Ingredients – makes approximately 1o medium size cakes

• 1 very ripe banana – peeled and mashed
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbs medium coarse Semolina flour
• 2 Tbs desiccated coconut
• 2 Tbs flaked almond (optional)
• 2 Tbs sugar (adjust to how sweet you like)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of ground cardamom
• Coconut oil for frying

Method

1. In a large bowl, stir together the mashed banana, flour, semolina, sugar, baking powder, cardamom and mix to a thick batter. Taste for sweetness and adjust as needed.
2. Add the almond and coconut in the batter. Using a spoon gently fold everything into the batter.
3. Place a heavy deep pan with enough oil to start deep frying. Using a spoon, gently spoon into the hot fry oil. Using a long handled spoon flip the fritters around until they are a nice golden-brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Remove with a slotted spoon to shake off excess oil and place on a paper towel to cool down.
5. Repeat the process with the remaining batch of batter until all is done.
6. Sprinkle with white granulated sugar and powdered cinnamon (optional)

Brinda’s Note: Its egg free therefore makes a good vegetarian little bite. As I do not add any milk or butter to the batter they are good for vegan lovers.

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HAPPY COOKING!

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