These fried bananas with coconut and sesame seeds make a fun and indulgent treat perfect for sharing.
On our last Vietnam trip, we ate our weight in fried bananas. It was such a treat enjoying the fried bananas fresh from the street vendors. Throughout Southeast Asia, fried bananas are a ubiquitous street snack. Almost every Southeast Asian cookbook that came out last year had a recipe for fried bananas. My favorite version is from the Lao Kitchen cookbook by Saeng Douangdara. His recipe includes coconut and sesame seeds in the batter which lends texture and nuttiness to the fried bananas. What was unique about his recipe is that the fried bananas are served with condensed milk, something I had never tried before. I don’t think I could eat fried bananas without condensed milk going forward. To make it extra indulgent, we waited for the fried bananas to cool down, topped them with vanilla ice cream, and a drizzle of condensed milk.
Ingredient Notes
- Banana: use Thai bananas or burro bananas for this recipe as they hold their shape well and stay firm after frying. Pick ones that are ripe but firm and not overripe.
- Coconut: use unsweetened shredded coconut to add texture to the batter.
- Sesame seeds: both black and white sesame seeds were used but you could use one type if you don't have both of them.
Tips for Making Fried Bananas
- Set up your frying station with bananas, batter, and plate lined with paper towels.
- When frying the bananas, keep the temperature at 350 degrees F and avoid overcrowding.
Make Ahead and Storage
- The batter for the fried bananas can be made the night before. If it becomes too thick add in a tablespoon of water at a time to thin out the batter.
- The fried bananas are best eaten shortly after frying.
Fried Bananas with Coconut and Sesame Seeds
Ingredients
- ½ cup rice flour
- ¼ cup glutinous rice flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons water
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons dried, unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
- 8 Thai bananas or Burro bananas, split lengthwise
- vegetable oil for frying
For Serving
- ¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
- vanilla or coconut ice cream
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flours, cornstarch, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add coconut milk and water and whisk until a thick but smooth batter forms. Stir in the dried coconut and sesame seeds. Set aside.
- Peel the bananas and cut them in half lengthwise. Place them on a plate until ready to use.
- Prepare your frying station. Set the plate of bananas and bowl with batter next to the stove. Have a plate lined with paper towels for draining oil from the fried bananas.
- In a large wok or Dutch oven, pour the oil to a depth of 2 inches and heat over medium high heat to 350 degrees F.
- When the oil is hot, working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, add bananas to the batter. Lift the banana, allow the excess batter to drip back into the bowl, then add them to the hot oil. Deep fry until crisp and golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.
- Use a mesh skimmer, transfer the fried bananas to the plate lined with paper towels.
- Let the bananas cool down for 5 minutes. Serve them warm with sweetened condensed milk and/or vanilla ice cream.
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