Hit all your taste buds with Chuoi chien (Fried bananas)

Are you someone who likes sweet food or fried food?

I’m on diet but I’ll be honest, I love fried food :) No one could hate sweet taste and fried food. It took me a long time to think what should I write, which recipe should I introduce to you guys. Recently I've uploaded a post about Bot chien - Fried rice flour cakes, a popular street food in Saigon. I started to think about how to combine fried and sweet food together. For a while I came up with an idea about Banh chuoi chien - Fried bananas.

Luckily that I have some ripe bananas at home and if you also have it, then Banh chuoi is a good choice.

This dish is best if made just minutes before serving.

A treat for cold day.

Same with Saigon, street food in Hanoi also very fascinating. If you want to discover the variety of Vietnamese street food, please come to Hanoi in winter or autumn. You’ll be amazed to see the food in here. When the weather in autumn or winter, Hanoians prefer something hot, spicy or fried.

There are so many snacks to enjoy the cold breeze day, however, the ideal snack that I suggest is Chuoi chien. In Hanoi, the North of Vietnam, people really enjoy eating Banh chuoi in winter months.

There's nothing moreinteresting than small kerbside stalls pop up on the vendor in Hanoi during the cold day, selling a variety of fried snacks. People can choose to eat at the stall or take away.

Crispy outside and creamy on the inside, Banh chuoi is a favourite street food snack that many Vietnamese people love.

Beloved snack wrapped with newspaper.

My mom said that Banh chuoi chien was one of her favourite snacks when she was young. For me, chuoi chien is a very special snack, if you can see how it's prepared at food stall. Chuoi chien normally sells in the afternoon, when workers finish their shift and students on their way back home. Most buy a couple of Chuoi chien, bananas are lightly coated in the batter, deep-fried in a large frying pan. Chuoi chien usually wrapped in a sheet of newspaper: a cheap and delicious takeaway snack.

Chuoi chien is delicious enough to make anyone forget that they don’t like deep-fried food.

Special note:

If you want Banh chuoi has a beautiful golden brown colour then you can add 1 tsp turmeric powder in the batter, it helps Banh chuoi has a golden brown naturally.
If you got overripe bananas, you should make the batter thick and should fry Banh chuoi once. However, if your bananas are ripe and quite green then the batter needs to be thin and you should fry once or twice times.

After you fry the first time, continue to dip the bananas in the batter and prepare for the second fry. The more layers of the batter, the more crispy of Banh chuoi

https://www.dinner-mom.com/battered-banana-pancake-recipe/

HOW TO MAKE CHUOI CHIEN

Put 1/2 cup rice flour, 1/2 cup wheat flour and 1/2 tsp banking powder in a bowl, whisk all together. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes.
Peel and cut bananas in half lengthways.
Place one sliced banana in a plastic wrap and slightly flatten it up.
Note: You can use the cutting board and gently press down on banana.
Dip banana into the batter.
Put cooking oil in the pan, use chopsticks or tongs to turn the bananas easily. Deep fry for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.

Note: If your bananas are quite green then you can fry it twice times, in the first fry Banh chuoi doesn't need to be fried till crisp, fry for around 2 minutes then you can take out and dip in the batter again for the second fry.

7. Place on a plate, lined with paper towel. Enjoy!

Worth knowing: Fried bananas are eaten widely in Asia. In Vietnam, banana can be served either as snack like this recipe or Che chuoi (Vietnamese banana and tapioca dessert). More interesting, we have Chuoi nuong (Grilled bananas).

Credit to: NPFamily Recipes, 2017, ' Street Food Fried Bananas Recipe (Chuối Chiên)', 11 Apr, viewed on 25 Jul. <http://www.npfamilyrecipes.com/recipe/street-food-fried-bananas-chuoi-chien/>