For all dessert lovers out there, you’re in luck, I’m going to share my mom’s yummiest, easiest Malaysian banana fritters! If you love bananas, this is a dessert that will top any banana dessert you’ve ever eaten! I’m constantly asked if desserts can be made in our cast iron woks? YES, it’s a perfect wok dessert! A wok is a superb vessel for deep frying whether it’s for savory dishes or sweet desserts. These banana fritters are very light, slightly crispy outside and inside is bananery, creamy and squishy, just how I like it, ummm.
I’m not a dessert maker and hopeless at baking, my husband begs me to stay away from it because it’s scientific and to stick with cooking cause it’s creative and forgiving! Fortunately, these banana fritters don’t even need measuring or a ‘recipe’, nothing scientific, all by adjusting consistency, my kind of dessert! I’ve made it many times and always turn out yummy whether I’ve used all purpose flour or whole wheat flour. Beware, they are quite filling and so addictive. It’s not like you’re going to make this often, so enjoy them.
Growing up, my mom had to make enough to feed 7 of us. It was always a lot of fun to cook with my mom and sisters, lots of laughter and silliness, just what cooking is all about. She gave us each a task, so it was quick to put together. We’d all crowd round to watch mom deep fry, so exciting to see the blobs of fritters bobbing in the oil. I miss you mom and think you’d be proud of me getting these fritters down!
The wide opening and the shape of the wok is ideal for deep frying as well as many other styles of cooking. Don’t be put off by “deep frying”, it’s not bad for you. It’s only bad if you use oil that can’t withstand high heat or if the oil is absorbed into the food. I’ll show you how to avoid both in the notes below. Deep frying is actually a wonderful way to cook food so they’re crispy outside and the inside is very moist. This is the method Asian restaurants use and it’s a very fast way to cook, except they reuse oil way too many times and that’s bad.
As with any of my dishes, I don’t provide exact measurements because that’s how I cook, by adjusting the consistency, texture and flavors to suit my taste buds. The fastest way I learn is when I know why things happen, so I hope you do too. There’s a little bit of explanation below but I think when you understand, it’ll become very easy.
I’d love to hear how your banana fritters turned out and what you like to eat them with, email me some photos.
ENJOY, I know you and your friends will get hooked like we did!
How to make Mom Hoh’s delish Malaysian Banana Fritters…
Feeds 4 unless you’re a piggy!
Notes:
Consistency of banana mix…
Adjust with coconut milk and wholewheat flour till you can drop a spoonful of mixture easily. If too watery, add a little more flour. Definitely not too doughy, otherwise it becomes tough and chewy
About the oil…
– use oil that can withstand high heat like canola or grapeseed oil
– you don’t need to fill the wok even half way up, see photo
– It’s important for oil to be hot, otherwise fritters will be greasy and not crispy golden. (It’s the same concept for stir frying veggies.)
– to test if oil is hot enough, place a single chopstick right in the middle of the oil till you reach the bottom of the wok. When bubbles form, it means oil is hot enough.
– after you’re done deep frying, wait for oil to cool completely and pour into a glass jar through a paper towel to strain any bits out. You can reuse this oil again for another fry as long as it’s still light in color.
– never throw oil down the drain, it will clog your drains. Put in a disposable plastic container with lid and throw in the trash.
Don’t crowd the fritters…
– use tablespoon to drop one dollop of banana mix into hot oil
– only add in 4 -5 dollops in one batch
– give them room to cook so they don’t join up.
– only flip them once as they turn golden
– as soon as they turn golden, lift out since they continue cooking, get burned and become bitter.
– use slotted spoon to lift out and drain on rack or on paper lined plate and another paper towel to keep them warm.
Best pairings with banana fritters…
Do this before you start deep frying…
– put a scoop of coconut or vanilla ice cream on 4 plates (So Delicious brand, it’s made out of coconut milk, it’s healthier.)
– add handful of fresh strawberries for some color (I know I didn’t in this post but would be good!)
– a few nuts for texture, notice my sister sprinkled sesame seeds on our coconut ice cream, and was delish
Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas (if using small sugar bananas, use 4)
1 cup King Arthur wholewheat flour
coconut milk (So Delicious brand) or Almond Breeze unsweetened
1 egg
For deep frying…
Grapeseed or canola oil
wooden chopstick to test oil
big slotted stainless spoon OR wood chopsticks to lift out fritters
tablespoon for scooping banana mixture into oil
stainless steel rack or plate lined with paper towel
Method, important to do in this order…
1. In a big bowl, mash bananas with a fork, break egg in and fold in
2. add wholewheat flour a spoonful at a time till you can drop a spoonful of mixture easily from a spoon
add milk in if it gets too thick and adjust till the consistency is right
3. heat oil in wok and do the chopstick oil test, see note above.
4. work quickly – use tablespoon to scoop mixture and gently drop into oil. Only drop about 4-5 blobs into the oil in one batch.
5. As soon as they turn color, turn over. Use slotted spoon and take them out to drain on rack or on paper lined plate and cover over.
6. Quickly work through the bowl of mashed banana mix.
Remove all paper from plate before serving.
Enjoy your banana fritters and thank my mom for this addictive and yummy banana fritters.
If you want to do a complete Malaysian evening, try these dishes my mom also taught my sisters and I to make…
Char Kuey Teow (I’ve never made this, my sister did it, I just blogged about it)
Malaysian Chicken Curry
How to make the BEST Malaysian Banana Fritters in a Wok! (Updated)
You will LOVE how to make the BEST Malaysian Banana Fritters in a wok, even if you are not good at making desserts like me. And it’s so EASY and FAST because the wok is a superb vessel for deep frying these fritters. Your family and guests will want to give you a hand so they can get to eat them sooner! Best part is watching how quickly the fritters cook, they have a slightly crispy outside.
The inside of these banana fritters are bananery, creamy and squishy, just how I like it! Served with vanilla ice cream, the contrast of hot and cold is unbelievably satiating. Beware, they are quite addictive, you can’t stop eating them.
WHY A WOK?
The wide opening and the shape of the wok make it a perfect vessel for deep frying these banana fritters. You can also use a stainless steel pot or a skillet, please NOT nonstick because it cannot withstand high heat.
NO RECIPE REQUIRED…
These banana fritters don’t even need measuring or a ‘recipe’, nothing scientific about it. It only requires adjusting consistency, my kind of dessert! I’ve made it many times and always turn out yummy whether I’ve used all purpose flour or whole wheat flour (see Consistency below).
WHAT’S STORY WITH BANANA FRITTERS?
In Malaysia, it’s called Kuih Kodo because of the “toad like” odd shapes when deep fried. Pisang Goreng is what I remember mom calling them. In Penang, they are made with bananas sliced length ways and deep fried with a light batter. I have had them made like that and were good.
BUT, my mom’s version is EVEN BETTER!
Growing up, it was always a lot of fun to cook with my mom and sisters, lots of laughter and silliness, just what cooking is all about. She gave us a task each, so it was quick to put together. You can do same with your family and guests.
We’d all crowd round to watch mom deep fry, so exciting to see the fritters bobbing in the oil. I miss you mom and think you’d be proud of me getting these fritters down!
How to make Mom Hoh’s delish Malaysian Banana Fritters…
Feeds 4 unless you’re a piggy!
Notes:
Consistency of banana mix…
Adjust with coconut milk and wholewheat flour till you can drop a spoonful of mixture easily. If too watery, add a little more flour. Definitely not too doughy, otherwise it becomes tough and chewy. (I’ve not experimented but try coconut flour, almond flour for gluten free versions).
TIPS ABOUT OIL…
Here are 4 best oils for high heat wok cooking.
Oil should be hot, otherwise fritters will be greasy and not crispy golden. (It’s the same concept for stir frying veggies.)
After you’re done deep frying, wait for oil to cool completely. You can decide whether to…
1) Reuse this oil for another fry as long as it’s still light in color. Pour into a glass jar through a paper towel to strain any bits out.
OR
2) Throw out, put in a disposable plastic container with lid and throw in the trash. Do NOT throw down drain, it will clog your drains and an expensive plumber bill.
CHOPSTICK TEST
To test if oil is hot…
- place a single WOOD chopstick(not disposable kind nor plastic chopsticks) right in the middle of the oil till you reach the bottom of the wok.
- when oil starts bubbling, it means oil is hot enough.
DEEP FRYING TIPS…
Don’t crowd the fritters, give them room to cook so they don’t join up. As soon as they turn golden, take out as they continue to cook and will get burned and become bitter.
SERVING TIPS…
Take out the ice cream! We love coconut flavor by So Delicious, especially if you have dairy allergies. Serve with strawberries for some color. Add some nuts or sesame seeds for some crunch.
Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas (if using small sugar bananas, use 4)
1 cup King Arthur wholewheat flour
coconut milk (So Delicious brand) or Almond Breeze unsweetened
1 egg
Avocado oil
UTENSILS…
• cast iron wok or skillet or stainless steel pot or pan
• wooden chopstick to test oil
• big slotted stainless spoon, tongs or wood chopsticks for flipping
• big stainless steel spoon for scooping banana mixture into oil
• stainless steel rack or plate lined with paper towel
Method, important to do in this order…
1. In a big bowl, mash bananas with a fork, break egg in and fold in
2. add wholewheat flour a spoonful at a time till you can drop a spoonful of mixture easily from a spoon
add milk in if it gets too thick and adjust till the consistency is right
3. heat oil in wok and do the chopstick oil test, see note above.
4. work quickly – use tablespoon to scoop mixture and gently drop into oil. Only drop about 4-5 blobs into the oil in one batch.
5. As soon as they turn color, turn over. Use slotted spoon and take them out to drain on rack or on paper lined plate and cover over.
6. Quickly work through the bowl of mashed banana mix.
7. Remove all paper from plate before serving.
8. Put 2 scoops of ice cream onto each plate and sprinkle with nuts and or sesame seeds. Add strawberries, add a couple of banana fritters, enjoy!
Thanks mom for this addictive and yummy banana fritters.
I’d love to hear how your banana fritters turned out and what you like to eat them with, email me some photos.
Want to experience a complete Malaysian evening?
Try these dishes my mom also taught my sisters and I to make…
Char Kuey Teow
Easy to Make Singapore Noodles
Malaysian Chicken Curry
Bazi Miami, Asian Thanksgiving
Peking Turkey for Thanksgiving? Yep, you heard right. Bazi Miami, an Asian-inspired restaurant in South Beach opened by an Italian Chef was offering an Asian Thanksgiving and I fell for it. A pretty daring challenge since duck is a very fatty bird and turkey is not! If you’ve never had Peking Duck, it’s all about the crispy skin, more about this later. To top it all, my hubby was willing to sacrifice his once a year all time favorite dinner to experience an Asian Thanksgiving with me, what a guy!
Here’s how our dinner unfolded…
I had put in a request for dark meat only, PLEASE! So when Justin, the manager greeted us and starts off by saying, we got your request and just to let you know, the chef has put all the dark meat into the turkey wontons for the soup dish, gulp, we were REALLY anxious, I mean really ANXIOUS!
1st Course: Turkey Wonton Soup…pure heaven, you could taste all the turkey goodness, so I totally got why the chef decided to use dark meat in this dish! But we needed more soup and a little hotter. In Asia, soup is served piping hot, especially for my hubby, he must’ve been Chinese in his previous life (that’s what my mom said when she first met him.) On hind sight, it was the perfect amount because it would have filled us up.
While waiting for our 2nd course, Jen (the GM) sent over Tuna Tataki lettuce wrap appetizer with jicama and creamy wasabi, a little flavor burst to get us going! Delightful. Jen has the finger on the pulse of what’s happening at Bazi, socializing here and there, and keeping us all happy, we loved her energy and smile.
2nd Course & 3rd Course came together…XO Long Green Beans, Sweet Potato Dumplings, Brussel Sprouts with Lemon Foam, Wasabi Mashed Potatoes (no photo, too busy eating), my hubby added the creamy wasabi from Tuna Tataki cause he likes his mash extra spicy!
I couldn’t believe all night, he never once mentioned there was no stuffing? For him, it’s not Thanksgiving if there’s no stuffing. Maybe the sweet potato dumplings were the stuffing replacement, they were out of this world good. So were the long green beans with xo sauce, it’s a very classic Chinese dish and they didn’t put a spin on this at all. Just enough crunch but still tender. I let hubby have most of the brussel sprouts cause they’re his favorite.
3rd Course: Peking Turkey…Chives, Cucumber, Hoisin Sauce, Pickled Ginger, Scallion Pancakes.
If you’ve never had Peking Duck, it’s the most fun dish. It’s eaten three ways: first, the whole duck is brought to you and the crispy skin is carved off, I was so impressed with how fast they carved, I videotaped it when I was last in Hong Kong. The skin is eaten with pancakes slathered with hoisin sauce and slivers of chives and cucumber. Next up, soup made from the duck bones and meat and lastly, shredded duck meat with veggies and noodles, YUMMY! Bazi Miami does serve Peking Duck on their a la carte menu and it’s farm raised. Salivating just thinking about it and one of these days, we’ll have to treat ourselves to it.
About the Peking Turkey…
Turkey doesn’t have that nice layer of fat under the skin that duck has which keeps even the white meat moist and was the reason for our anxiety. However, the turkey breasts were not dry but quite tender and tasty and we think it’s because they’re farm raised turkeys, yay. There was a nice portion for two.
I noticed the turkey skin was separated from the white meat which tells me they cooked it separately, very wise because crisping up the skin still attached to the flesh would’ve dried out the white meat. The skin wasn’t as crispy as I had hoped but I truly appreciated their efforts.
The scallion pancakes were the right consistency, very light and bouncy, served warm wrapped in a napkin, good job! The pickled ginger was a refreshing and nice contrast to the sweet Hoisin Sauce. It’s not normally served with Peking Duck, so I appreciated this little twist.
4th Course: Sweet Rubies – jackfruit, dragon fruit, papaya & coconut cream
Bazi Ices – pineapple rum ice, guava sauce, mint custard, kiwi, white chocolate puffed rice
We decided to go light after pigging out and so relieved they had fresh fruit, not just any fruit, they were tropical, exotic fruit and were a perfect end and very cooling.
Here’s a bit about Bazi Miami’s concept…
So, why did Italian Chef Michael Pirolo (chef/owner of Macchialina) and his managing partner, Jen Chaefsky want to open an Asian-inspired restaurant in South Beach? They love to cook Asian at home and as Chef Michael explains, “Bazi is a place you can come for your fanciest celebration dinner and go all out or stop by for a bowl of noodles & a beer at the bar on your way home. It’s here for everyone and every occasion.” We actually witnessed a couple next to us doing just that, they had more cocktails than food!
I admire a chef who would stick his neck out and experiment with a style of cooking that he wasn’t trained in. In my books, he’s a WOK STAR, someone who’s not afraid of breaking the rules and putting his personal spin on it. I love that!
Chef Michael and Jen were lucky finding Chef de Cuisine, Brett Collier who honed his skills at the Bazaar and 50 Eggs and able to execute their philosophy of Bazi, meaning the four pillars of one’s destiny. A menu that’s family style where you can mix and match and completely complements one another. They like to call it Asian classics with a modern twist. Bazi is inside the legendary art deco Marlin Hotel, right on the main drag in South Beach with parking garage across the street, how convenient. They’ve revamped it, 1930’s Hong Kong style with dragons and gold accents but modern and sleek looking. 
We’ve dined at Bazi once before and already familiar with their Asian-inspired menu, so we felt confident their Asian Thanksgiving would be just as good! I’ve also experienced Chef Michael Pirolo’s delicious Italian cooking at Macchialina on Alton Road and recently at a private catered event. Interestingly enough, in recent months, I had been experimenting with Asian Fusion Italian cooking in my wok. I wanted to illustrate how a wok can be used for all styles of cooking and actually gave a class on Asian Fusion Italian, you can find out more about it here.
What a hugely successful Asian Thanksgiving dinner at Bazi Miami and glad we didn’t turn our nose up at turkey breasts! Bazi, we like what you’re doing, keep it up!
I highly recommend dining at Bazi Miami for a cozy evening with a wait staff that’s well trained and personable. There’s a wonderful ambience and the music is not so loud you can’t talk, that’s my pet peeve. The food is exciting and well executed and tell them Wok Star sent you!
P.S. our fav table for 2 is the round one on the right beside the stairwell, the Feng Shui is right on, a power table, you can view everything. Just don’t be sitting at our table when we go!
Full disclosure: we paid for our Thanksgiving dinner but our first dinner at Bazi was complimentary.