Goreng Pisang
You'll find banana fritters at both Chinese and Malay stalls. The Malay version tends to be made with a more savoury version of banana known as pisang kapok. Good goreng pisang is crispy, crunchy on the outside without the oiliness. A good oil to fry goreng pisang in is peanut or groundnut oil, which has a high smoke point, allowing food to cook quickly with a crispy coating and with very little oil absorption.
Serves 4 to 6
8 bananas
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
Oil for deep frying
1 teaspoon rum
1 cup sparkling water
Mix the flour, rice flour, baking powder and salt well in a bowl. Beat the sparkling water, rum and egg into the flour mixture until batter is smooth. Set batter aside to rest for 15 minutes.
Heat the oil in a deep skillet. Dip the bananas in the batter and gently drop them into the hot oil. Turn bananas so that they colour to a rich golden brown on all sides. Remove and drain on paper towels.
The secret to a light, crispy batter is sparkling water and a dash of alcohol
