Pazham Pori (Plantain Fritters)

Pazham Pori also called Ethakkappam (Plantain Fritters), is a very popular snack in Kerala made using ripe plantains. ( This is what Keralites call Nenthrappazham/Kerala banana)

This has been one of my all time favorites. It is very simple to prepare yet so very tasty. It was the perfect accompaniment to our Saturday-evening tea.
Here’s how I made it.

Ingredients:
3 ripe plantains (Halve each plantain and make 3-4 slices from each half)
Oil for deep frying
For the batter:
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup rice flour
Sugar (add depending on sweetness of the plantain)
½ tsp baking soda
A pinch or two of cardamom powder
Salt to taste
Mix everything in water to form a thick batter that coats each slice really well.

Method:
Heat the oil for frying.

Drop about three to four pieces of batter-coated plantain into hot oil, one at a time. Proceed to fry the rest in four or five batches.( If you put in too many pieces at a time, it decreases the temperature of the oil & it takes longer to fry & the plantains will absorb more oil than they normally would)

Fry till golden brown. (This should take less than a minute if the oil is at the correct temperature)

Drain off the excess oil on paper towels.

Serve hot with tea.

This is being sent to Mandira of

Ahaar who is hosting JFI: Banana.
This is also my entry for “What’s your favorite snack?” - an event being hosted by Hima of SnackORama.




Onion Bhajjis(fritters)
I had some batter left over after making the plantain fritters, so I went ahead and made some onion bhajjis too.

I just peeled and halved an onion and used a mandoline to get thin slices from each half, mixed it into the batter and fried it till golden brown.


Note: I would normally use chickpea flour (besan) to make the batter for this kind of pakoda, and spice it up with some green chillies or chilli powder.