Plantain Chips (Banana Chips)

Banana chips are my favourite 'dabbe khaan', roughly translate to munchies in English. I never knew making plantain chips was so easy until few years ago. They turned out so crispy, crunchy and yum that I promised myself I wouldn't buy a packet of banana chips then on at any store. I bet you'll say the same, once you try them at home. Take my word, they are damn easy to make and turn out a thousand times better than the store bought ones. Plus, they are freshly made, fried in coconut oil or any oil you like unlike the stale, refined oil fried banana chips you buy in stores.

My inspirations were my aunt and mom who made banana chips every once in a while at home. Your kitchen however will require a nice scrubbing after you're done, :-) but it's worth it!

Here's how you can make perfect banana chips.

Ingredients:

3 plantains/raw nendran bananas
1 tablespoon of salt
2 cups of oil for deep frying
A pinch of turmeric

Serves: 3-4

Preparation Time: 40 minutes

Picking the right bananas to make chips:

Buy fresh, raw bananas of nendran variety. They should be raw & fresh.

Once the skin starts to change in colour a little, the banana starts to ripen inside, they make the chips sweet. I personally enjoy them like few of my other family members, But such bananas aren't usually used to make chips. Raw ones are only used. Also, chips turn out slightlyyy brown if you use slightly ripened Nendran bananas.

Do not buy raw bananas used to make curries etc, I bought them once by mistake. You can use them to make chips but they don't turn out as good as the ones made from nendran bananas.

Preparation Method:

1. Peel the raw bananas.

Traditionally, they are slit open longitudinally along it's 3 ridges. Then peeled. Do this if you want to save the peels to make chutneys, curries, stir fry's out of them. Or just peel the bananas using a peeler.

How to peel the traditional way? How to save the peels? Use a knife to score along the 3 ridges of the banana. Then peel open them using your fingers without breaking the peel into pieces. You should be able to get 3 whole peels. If they break it's ok. They break when you haven't scored them perfectly along the ridge.

Also, why peel the traditional way? It removes off the peel completely off the banana.

2. In a bowl, add some water, 2 pinches of turmeric and place peeled bananas in them for 10-15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile heat up oil for deep frying.

Use oil just enough to fry all the chips as they get salty in the end. You may not be able to reuse them.

4. Meanwhile dissolve 3/4th tablespoon of salt in 1/2 a cup of water and keep it aside. The water has to be salty.

5. Once the oil is rolling hot, set the flame to medium and start frying the banana.

6. If you are an expert you'll be able to slice the banana directly into hot oil using a slicer. If not slice 1/4 of a banana onto a plate using the slicer.

Banana slices tend to stick to one another so they are sliced directly into hot oil.

Do not slice the bananas before hand and keep them aside. The slices tend to stick to each other. Slice them just before you fry them.

Then add the slices one by one into hot oil. Banana slices tend to stick to your frying stainer, the frying pan and anything that they get to hold onto. Just slowly loosen the slices using a knife tip, tip of your frying stainer.

7. Fry banana slices on medium heat until oil stops bubbling.

8. Once the oil stops bubbling, lower the flame to a minimum, add in 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt water and take 2 steps back immediately. Once salt water is dropped into oil, there's a lot of oil spurting out. Please take care, you don't want to get burnt.

The amount of salt water you add depends on the amount of banana slices you have in the frying pan, amount of oil in the frying pan, how thick or thin the slices are & on how salty the water is. If it's pretty salty 1/2 a teaspoon should do. If the slices are thicker they'll need little more salt water than thin slices. Thin slices get salty very soon, thicker not so much. So adjust salt water you add accordingly. Fewer slices frying in the pan & you need less amount of salt water.

9. Once oil stops bubbling again, remove chips from the pan and drain them onto a paper towel.

10. Once all the excess oil has drained off and chips have cooled down properly, store them in air tight containers.

11. Taste the chips, if they are salty, not so salty, adjust the amount of salt water you add accordingly the next time.

12. Repeat the process until you are done frying 3 bananas. Adjust the thickness of your banana slices by making adjustments on your slicer.

13. Scrub your kitchen, stove top using a detergent. :-) Or your whole house will have a oily floor.

14. Enjoy the chips as and when you wish. :-)

What to do with leftover salty oil Navya?

1. Use them to deep fry fritters/bajo/phodis.

2. To grease your frying iron pan.

Can't use it any other way.

If you have bought some nendran bananas and couldn't find the time to make chips, then try making amazing banana halwa out of them or pan fry or deep fry them to make delicious phodis and fritters.

Other good old Konkani household snack - called as dabbe khaan in Konkani are Chakuli, Fried Pumpkin Seeds (Bhajil Dudde Bee) & Crunchy Rice Vadas (Tandla Vado)

Do try these chips in an air frier if you own one.

Tags: Plantain chips, banana chips, dabbe khaan, munchies, kele chips, nendrabale chips, nendrakele chips, Kerala chips