Thursday, October 19, 2006

D's Banana Crisps

So I had a lot of bananas one day and whilst I was preparing some of my favorite tempeh chips, I decided to experiment with some raw bananas as well. After all I thought to myself, "Hey, I've eaten banana crisps before, how hard can it be to make them?". It wasn't hard at all, in fact this is so easy to make that you'll be kicking yourself if you didn't give it a try.

Ingredients:
1. Raw or semi-raw bananas
2. Oil for deep-frying
3. Salt and pepper

Method:
1. Slice your bananas super thin. You can use a knife for this but I found (by chance) that a skin peeler works beautifully

2. Deep fry in oil
3. Drain well
4. Add salt and pepper to taste

Hint:
1. If you're preparing a lot at one time, soak your peeled bananas in some salt water, this prevents them from oxidizing and going brown
2. Raw bananas are ideal for chips because they are a lot firmer and therefore slice easier
3. Bananas are quite high producers of ethylene gas, this gives rise to the "ripening" phenomenon, that means if you encase your bananas in a box they tend to ripen faster because of the build-up of ethylene. In fact you can even speed up the ripening of other fruits by placing them together with bananas
4. These crisps can keep fresh for up to a week in an airtight container


These savory crisps are a great substitute for your typical potato crisps, bananas are also far richer in micronutrients than your usual potato. The best thing about making your own crisps at home is that you can use fresh and good quality oil thus avoiding the stale and rancid taste you get in some mass-produced chips due to the industry's tendency to reuse the oil for the umpteenth time.

D

10 comments:

Unknown said...

Yo D, this looks like a great snack for munching nonstop, fresh, with micronutrients, fried in healthy, non-reused oil.

Anonymous said...

That looks goooooood although I dun eat banana chips or crisps much .. thank gawd! hahahah~ I didnt know for banana chips, u have to use raw bananas.. now I know~ =)

Anonymous said...

Hey D, i just realised something!

Your profile picture reminds me of bryan wong!

Ahaha~ i like mashed banana in oatmeal~ ;D

Unclenabe said...

Wahahahah u got own3d!

Anonymous said...

I think I would prefer sweet potato for chips to banana as I like the more savoury type of chips. Have you tried microwaving thin sliced potatoes in a safe dish spread thinly with oil? You can do your own seasonings: paprika, garlic salt, pepper..

Although admittedly when I tried it, I was too impatient to do it in small batches so I overlapped my potatoes which stuck together as a result :P

zhengning said...

bananas! haha, do u add honey to it?

D said...

angie: Healthy deep-fried food? Haha. Now you're speaking my language!

michie: I used raw (unripe) bananas because
1. I wanted a savory crisp and
2. They're easy to cut.
Most of the crisps you get out there are done when the bananas are more ripened hence the thicker cut and sweeter flavor. If you like to use a ripened banana, just semi-freeze it a bit and it'll slice alot easier ;)

girl: Bryan who? I like mashed banana in a sticky rice cake and roasted coconut with vanilla ice-cream *drools* damn, I have to make that dessert soon.

unclenabe: Why did you use a "3" instead of an "e". That's like sooooo t0t@||y L@m3 haha.

cindy: Er.. this is a savory type of chip. Microwaved crisps? Sound good, I actually zap my homemade chips (fries) to dessicate them first before deep-frying, this creates a much crisper finish. I know what you mean about them sticking together haha, only works well if you're making potato gratin.

Zhengning: Honey?? Nope, they're savory but if you want to add honey it's best to drizzle it on top when it's cooked, the honey will burn too easily if it's deep-fried. Or even better, maple syrup!!

Shionge said...

Hiya...so I must like the Bananas In Pyjamas...wear my pyjamas and go over to eat your goreng pisang?? :P

D said...

Shionge: They're really an easy peasy snack to make. You should give it a shot if you're a fan of banana crisps =)

Lord Dianabol said...

Shit dude. With the price of bananas in Perth being more expensive than leg of lamb...

Argh.....