Winter is almost over for many of us in the Northern hemisphere. But still the cold lingers on and one feels like eating something chatpata or crisp at tea time. What better than these crisp baalekayi bajji or raw banana fries/fritters. They are crisp, slightly chatpata and soft on the inside.
A simple batter made with besan and a little rice flour to render crispiness. Then a few simple masalas are added which add the right amount of seasoning. Thin slices of raw banana are dunked into the coating batter and deep fried in oil. A snack ready, in no time at all either for a lazy Sunday afternoon or for tea-time on weekdays!
A single raw banana will suffice some snack cravings of atleast 3 to 4 people keeping in mind to limit deep fried snacks! Or maybe indulge a little more. On that note, more snacks to choose from, mirchi bajji, palak pakoda, onion pakoda etc. More snacks, masala groundnuts, roasted mung dal, baked shankarpali, coconut biscuits, benne biscuits, baked nippattu, a whole range to choose from!
- 1 raw banana
- ½ Cup besan
- 2 Tbsp rice flour
- 1 pinch hing
- ¼ Tsp ajwain/om/carom seeds
- Salt to taste
- ¼ Tsp turmeric
- ¼ Tsp red chilli powder
- 1 pinch baking soda
- Water to mix into a batter
- In a bowl, add besan and rice flour
- Add all seasonings, red chilli powder, turmeric, ajwain, hing and salt to taste
- Also add a pinch of baking soda
- Now slowly pour water and carefully make into a coating batter
- Wash, peel and thinly slice the raw banana
- Dip the sliced raw banana into the batter
- Fry in hot oil on medium heat
- When they turn crisp and golden, bajji are ready
- Serve hot with some masala tea!
Batter should not be very thin nor very thick, it should just be able to coat the banana slices
Do not fry the bajji on high heat, they will not turn crisp and they will turn bitter due to quick browning
Baalekayi Bajji Stepwise:
In a bowl, add besan and rice flour
Add all seasonings, red chilli powder, turmeric, ajwain, hing and salt to taste
Also add a pinch of baking soda
Now slowly pour water and carefully make into a coating batter
Wash, peel and thinly slice the raw banana
Dip the sliced raw banana into the batter
Fry in hot oil on medium heat
When they turn crisp and golden, bajji are ready
Serve hot with some masala tea!
