Pazham Poris: Kerala’s All Time Favourite Snack

Pazham Poris are Deep Fried Banana Fritters, available at homes and as street food in Kerala. They are super easy to cook and use just four-five ingredients, making for a great tea-time snack. Banana is a staple food available around the year in Kerala and that makes Pazham Poris a ready favourite in many households. ‘Pazham’ is the Malayalam word for banana and the authentic Pazham Pori is made using Nendran Pazham. But this variety is usually not available outside of Kerala so any medium to large-sized, firm bananas suit the purpose too when it comes to making Pazham Poris. 

Bananas are believed to have originated in Southeast Asia, specifically India. Along with coconuts, bananas are considered very auspicious offerings to the Gods and are referred to as Naivedyam or Bhog. There are at least 12-15 varieties of bananas in Southern India. It is also known as ‘kadali phalam’ in Sanskrit, ‘Aratipandu’ in Telugu, ‘Vazhaipazham’ in Tamil and ‘Kela’ in Hindi. 

Ingredients:

  • 300 Gms / 2-3 Large, Ripe, Firm Bananas 
  • 1 Cup – All Purpose Flour / Maida
  • 1 Tbsp – Rice Flour (to make it crispy)
  • 1 Tbsp – Sugar (optional) 
  • 1 Pinch – Turmeric Powder
  • 1 Pinch – Baking Powder 
  • 1/3 Cup – Water (as required for batter)
  • Oil for Frying  

Method:

  • In a deep bowl, take the all purpose flour, turmeric powder, baking powder, and a pinch of baking soda (since it helps fluffs up the fritters)
  • Mix the dry ingredients well 
  • Start to add water gradually, in small batches. The consistency of the batter has to be dense and thick, not runny. In case it does become thin, add some more flour
  • Make a lump free smooth batter by whisking it thoroughly
  • In a preheated kadhai/wok, heat oil for frying on high flame. Turn down the heat once the oil is ready. 
  • Peel the bananas – cut them into bite sized pieces or into 3 parts. Then slice them through lengthwise
  • To check whether the oil is ready or not, put some plain batter (1/5 tsp) into the oil. If the batter rises to the top of the oil immediately, oil is right for frying. If, however, it doesn’t rise at all, then the oil is not the right temperature yet. Heat a bit more 
  • Take each piece, dip it in the batter and put it into the oil for deep frying
  • Depending on the size of the wok, you can put all of them immediately or in small batches. 
  • Once they’ve turned a light golden, take them out, drain the excess oil on a paper towel 
  • It's ready to serve either plain or with some coconut gratings on top as garnish. (Grated Coconut is really optional but if you like it extra sweet, try it)

Bananas contain minerals and vitamins like B6, C and Magnesium, which helps control blood pressure. They are also known to be good for digestion and protect against high blood pressure and stroke as well.