Ripe Banana Fritters (Nendra Kele Phodi)

Ripe Banana Fritters (Nendra Kele Phodi)

Fried plantains are a delicacy throughout the world. Every country, every region has its own way of making delicious fried plantains. They are grilled, deep fried, baked to make mouth watering dishes. India is famous for its plantain chipsbanana halwadeep fried raw banana bhajias.

Sweet, overripe Nendran bananas are coated with gram flour & are deep fried to make delicious fritters/bhajias. They're served throughout South India as a tea time snack or as a starter for lunch.

Here's a Konkani cuisine twist to these fritters. In Konkani homes, overripe bananas of nendran variety are shallow fried to make delicious fritters. Overripe nendran bananas are coated with a spicy, semolina mixture and are shallow fried. The sweetness from overripe bananas and the spiciness from its coating is a real treat to your taste buds. They're a real pleasure to eat. You should definitely try these fritters if you haven't until now.

Nendran variety bananas get super soft and super sweet once they overripe. You need to let them overripe to the extent their peel gets all black. These bananas are then used to make yummy, shallow fried fritters that are sweet and spicy at the same time. If you don't let the skin blacken completely and use them beforehand, then these fritters don't taste that great, as the perfect sweetness and softness of the banana wouldn't have arrived.

These sweet, spicy shallow fried banana fritters are called as kele phodi in Konkani. Kele means banana in Konkani. Veggie fritters that are shallow fried are called as phodis in Konkani. Phodis form an important part of a Konkani cuisine meal as they are quick and easy to make. Phodis are served as a side dish for lunch and dinner in Konkani homes.


Ingredients: 

1-2 overripe Nendran bananas
1/2 cup fine semolina (bombay rava or chiroti rava, any small sized semolina will do)
1 teaspoon of red chilli powder
Salt to taste
1/2 cup oil for shallow frying


Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes


Preparation Method:

1. Peel ripe bananas and chop them into little less than ½ inch thick discs or chop them vertically in the shape of rectangles of less than 1/2 inch thickness. Keep them aside.

2. In a bowl, mix well semolina, red chilli powder, and salt.

3. Heat up a frying pan. 

4. Meanwhile, roll each piece of banana in the semolina mix so that it coats uniformly on all sides and place them on the preheated frying pan.

5. Drizzle oil uniformly all over the pieces. Cook closed on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes. 

6. Flip the pieces. Drizzle oil on the other side of the fritters if required. 

7. Cook closed similarly on the other side, on a medium flame for another 2-3 minute. 

8. Cook on both sides until they're done & are soft, until both sides are golden brown. 

9. Put off the flame and transfer them onto a plate.


Serving Suggestions:

1. Serve them as a tea time snack.

2. Serve them as an appetizer for lunch, dinner. 

3. Serve these hot banana fritters as a side along with rice & dalithoy


Find more fritter (bajo, phodi) recipes here.


Tags: Appetizers, side dish, banana, nendra bale, nendra kele phodi, fritters, phodi, lunch, dinner, Konkani recipe, Konkani dish, Konkani cuisine, Udupi cuisine, Mangalore food, Konkani food, Ganesh Chaturthi, pan fried plantain, bachelor recipe