PAZHAM PORI/ETHAKKA APPAM/BANANA FRITTERS - A regular easy snack and a little more...!

After a short unintentional break from blogging, here I come with one of the easiest tea time snack - 'Pazham pori'/'Ethakka appam', an authentic Kerala cuisine.

This is one of the easiest snacks which you would find in most of the households, bakeries, tea stalls in fact everywhere in Kerala.

The only variety of banana used for this snack is called Ethapazham in Malayalam and Nenthram pazham in Tamil. The raw plantain is used for making chips, powdered and used as baby food and in many other savouries, whereas the ripe ones go for sweets and snacks.

INGREDIENTS 

2 ----- ETHAPAZHAM

1cup ----- MAIDA

1/2 cup -----RICE POWDER (may omit if not available) 

2tsp ----- SUGAR (add more if the fruit is not sweet enough)

1tsp ----- JEERA (Optional)

1/2tsp ----- SALT

A pinch ---- TURMERIC (for colour)

Coconut Oil to deep fry

METHOD

Cut the banana into half and again into half vertically

• Make a slightly thick batter by mixing maida, rice flour, sugar, jeera, salt, turmeric and enough water
• Check for salt and sugar then dip the pieces of banana in the batter

• Heat the coconut oil until hot, but not smoking hot. Slowly drop in the plantains dipped in batter

• Deep fry on both sides until golden brown. Drain on a kitchen paper. Serve hot

• By adding rice powder the appam remains crsipy from outside and soft inside

Ok, so you have some batter left out??? don't throw away! It makes a snack by itself..........how?

• Add 1tsp sugar to the left out batter and 1/2tsp baking powder. Mix well and pour it on a greased and hot paniyarm chatti
• Cook on both sides and remove. A fresh, crispy and soft snack is ready in no time!

For people who cannot digest oily food, try the steamed version of this ethapazham. It's healthy, soft to digest with all its nutrition intact

• Wash the ripe banana and trim the edges. Cut the banana into three equal parts. Place it on an idly maker or steamer and steam for about five minutes
• Once done remove from the steamer or else it turns mushy. Peel the plantain and serve warm or cold.