Banana Chips or Ethakka Upperi is arguably the most popular snack in Kerala that also finds its place in all Kerala Sadya. You need to use unripe plaintains (ethakka, the raw form of ethappazham used to make Pazham Pori, which is not the same as vazhakka) to make these banana chips and frying them in anything other than coconut oil is as good as not bothering to make them, really.
By Nagalakshmi Viswanathan
Kerala Banana Chips
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Banana Chips or Ethakka Upperi is arguably the most popular snack in Kerala that also finds its place in all Kerala Sadya. You need to use unripe plaintains (ethakka, the raw form of ethappazham used to make Pazham Pori, which is not the same as vazhakka) to make these banana chips and frying them in anything other than coconut oil is as good as not bothering to make them, really.
Ingredients
- 3 unripe plaintain (ethakka)
- 1 tsp of turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp of salt
- 4–5 cups of coconut oil
Instructions
- Make grooves into the skin of the plaintain and peel it off gently. Save the skin for a thoran (waste not!)
- Mix the turmeric powder in a bowl of water and immerse the peeled plaintain in this. Let it rest for 30 mins
- Heat oil in a pan and let it reach almost-smoking point
- Pat the soaked plaintain dry using kitchen towels, it’s ok if it’s a bit moist
- Using a slicer, slice the plaintain into thin discs. You can directly do this into the hot oil (which needs more practise) or do this into another bowl and then add it to the hot oil
- The chips will sizzle A LOT and then start to brown a bit. Don’t let it turn too red, that will spoil the taste. The sizziling will almost subside when the chips are ready
- Mix the salt in about 2 cups water and keep ready
- Sprinkle this salt water over the chips when they are still in the oil but ready. Be careful while doing this since the oil is hot – just sprinkle, don’t pour
- Give it a mix and then drain the chips to a kitchen towel to soak up the excess oil
- Fry all the banana pieces, let cool, and store in airtight containers. Since coconut oil tends to go rancid pretty quickly, finish off the chips within 2-3 days or store in the refrigerator for up to a month
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
