One can get an idea about the most popular food/snack of any region by knowing what the hawkers on the train or the stalls around the railway station sell in that region. For eg: as I’ve mentioned the best Vada paav, the burger of Mumbai and the snack of the common man can be found on railway stalls or outside the railway station. In Kerala the most popular snack is the pazham pori, or banana fritters made out of a special variety of banana called nendrapazham, a relatively big yellow banana. It’s a common snack in Kerala and relished by all along with a cup of steaming tea or coffee. It does absorb a lot of oil so you can give yourself an allowance when you keep the guilt out of the door while you enjoy it. It’s one of those combinations of the sweet and salty that I enjoy most.
Ingredients
• 2 Ripe plantains (nendrapazham)
• 1 cup – Rice flour
• 3 tbsp – Maida / all purpose flour
• 1 pinch Turmeric powder
• Salt
• oil to fry
Method
• Peel the skin off the ripe plantain and cut into two parts and then cut each part into 3- 4 slices lengthwise.
• Prepare a batter of rice powder, maida, turmeric powder and salt
• Heat oil in a pan.
• Dip the sliced plantains in the batter and deep fry till golden brown in color.
• Serve hot with tea/coffee.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2