I still remember the little school girl in her navy blue pleated skirt and off white shirt, with unbuckled red school belt and navy blue tie hung halfway down, standing impatiently on the wooden kitchen bench.
She is impatient because it's after school hours and she is hungry! She is standing on the wooden bench because she can't see the stove top. She wants her favourite snack, but since she is very particular about its texture and taste, it takes time and she is running out of patience.
The little school girl is me and this caramelised banana is my favourite snack.
I'm not a big rice fan, so most of the time, I used to have some light lunch like idli or bread. By the end of the first period post lunch, I'd start dreaming about this dish. By the time I reach home, the anticipation and craving would have reached its peak! I think I used to have this almost on a daily basis. No wonder, I was a chubby little thing then ;)
For me, eating caramelised banana is a state of pure happiness. I don't like to rush through it, I want to take my time and enjoy, each and every bite of this.
After marriage, I've also made Jose a fan of this dish. However, I don't make it very often now. I make it when I want to indulge or when I feel like having some comfort food.
Honestly, it didn't occur to me to share this with you. I assumed it was a common household dish just like Ethakkappam (Banana Fritters). However off late, I realised that it's not so common after all. I happened to make it for some of our friends, when we had them over for breakfast or evening tea. It was love at first bite. If you want my opinion, there is no question of not loving it. I mean what's not to love, the name says it all!
Well, there is no exact recipe for this. It's purely based on your taste preference. I like it mildly sweet, with a subtle flavour of ghee, caramelised almost to the extent of slightly charred. If you are not a big fan of ghee, you can use butter or Dalda (Crisco) or even oil (I sometimes use a combination of coconut oil & ghee).
It's an excellent snack for your kids. It's comparatively healthy and it's filling too. I very strongly recommend you to try my favouritest snack ;) You can have it by itself or as a side for Upma or Puttu. You can also use this as a topping for pancakes / waffles / ice cream / french toast.
Here is the recipe…
Please read the notes section before you cook.
Ingredients
- 2 med – big Ripe Plantain (Pazhutha Ethakka) ( peeled and sliced in round shape)
- 2-4 tbsp Sugar (refer notes)
- 2 tbsp Chopped cashew nuts (optional)
- 2-3 tbsp Ghee / Butter / Dalda / Crisco / Oil
Instructions
- Heat ghee in a wide pan. Add the sliced banana and stir well.
- Make sure the pieces are coated with ghee.
- Cook on low flame for 5-6 mins or till the bananas are half cooked.
- Increase the flame to medium and stir well. Make sure you keep an eye on the dish, after increasing the heat.
- Once the banana begins to brown, reduce the flame to low-medium.
- Add sugar and chopped cashew nuts (if using) and mix well.
- Continue cooking till the sugar almost melts and the banana is fried well.
- I prefer a dark brown colour banana with a slightly crispy texture, so I increase the cooking time accordingly.
- You can have it by itself or as a side for Upma or Puttu. You can also use this as a topping for pancakes / waffles / ice cream / french toast.
Notes
Also, the texture of this dish completely depends on your taste preferences. I usually like the bananas to be roasted nicely with a strong caramel flavour and mashed with a slight crispy texture.
WOW! Yummy recipe
Thank you :)
thank u for the recipe.. dont you add grated coconut to this?
You just got me back to my childhood. My mouth just watered with the awesome pic.. I think our mothers should meet ;) we have had a lot of common teatime snacks..