We discovered this gem during our recent trip to Thailand. Every afternoon, our driver Chaiwat Busantia would pick up a pack of Kluay Kaek from the street vendor. He insisted that we have a bite and we were hooked the moment we tasted it. It was dynamite. Crunchy crust, sweet and soft inside, all in one bite. After the AHA banana fritter moment, we had it almost every day in the evening during the trip. The vendors would just come running between cars in the signal with bags of Kluay Kaek and it will all be sold in minutes. They bring them hot. It was a sight to watch. Its such a popular snack in Thailand.
Its very similar to our own Pazham pori . I think every asian country has a version of banana fritter. The Thai Banana Fritters, Kluay Kaek is made in a rice flour batter and the addition of sesame seeds and coconut gives a nice texture to the fritters. Some recipes use black sesame seeds while some recipes use white sesame seeds. Kluay Kaek is a perfect evening snack and we loved it so much. So next time you are in Thailand, pick one of the Kluay Kaek bags and enjoy!
Thai banana fritters is made with the small and firm numwah bananas. Its important that the bananas are ripe but firm. Do not use the regular bananas. They will become into a mush in oil when cooked. A very good substitute for these bananas would be to use ripe plantains ( Nendaram Pazham ). You will need a banana that will hold up its shape without disintegrating in oil. If you are using the small banana variety, do not use the really ripe ones which are soft. Use firm bananas.
Take a bowl and add in the rice flour, maida (all purpose flour), coconut, sugar, baking soda, salt and the sesame seeds. I have used black sesame seeds today. Add in the water and whisk well to make a smooth batter. The batter should nicely coat the bananas when dipped.
Cut the peeled bananas into two. If using plantain, Cut the top and the bottom of the plantain. Cut the plantain into half and peel the skin. Cut the peeled plantain into quarter inch strips. set aside.
Heat oil in a pan to deep fry. When the oil is hot, dip the bananas in the batter and gently place in the hot oil.
Fry the bananas / plantains until slightly golden on both sides.
Serve hot immediately. Its crisp and juicy when its hot! Its banana love in a big bite!
- 3 Ripe Plantains or 6 small firm thai bananas
- 1/2 Cup Rice flour
- 1 cup maida (all purpose flour)
- 2 Tablespoon Sugar
- 2 Tablespoon desiccated coconut
- 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
- a pinch of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup water (*see notes)
- Take a bowl and add in the rice flour, maida, coconut, sugar, baking soda, salt and the sesame seeds. Add in the water and whisk well to make a smooth batter. The batter should nicely coat the bananas when dipped.
- Cut the peeled bananas into two. If using plantain, Cut the top and the bottom of the plantain. Cut the plantain into half and peel the skin. Cut the peeled plantain into quarter inch strips. set aside.
- Heat oil in a pan to deep fry. When the oil is hot, dip the bananas in the batter and gently place in the hot oil.
- Fry the bananas / plantains until slightly golden on both sides.
Notes
Desiccated coconut can be substituted with fresh shredded coconut too! If the batter is really thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time to dilute. #DO NOT use regular ripe bananas. They will become into a mush and will stick in oil.
- Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Thailand
- 3 Ripe Plantains or 6 small firm thai bananas
- 1/2 Cup Rice flour
- 1 cup maida (all purpose flour)
- 2 Tablespoon Sugar
- 2 Tablespoon desiccated coconut
- 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
- a pinch of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup water (*see notes)
- Take a bowl and add in the rice flour, maida, coconut, sugar, baking soda, salt and the sesame seeds. Add in the water and whisk well to make a smooth batter. The batter should nicely coat the bananas when dipped.
- Cut the peeled bananas into two. If using plantain, Cut the top and the bottom of the plantain. Cut the plantain into half and peel the skin. Cut the peeled plantain into quarter inch strips. set aside.
- Heat oil in a pan to deep fry. When the oil is hot, dip the bananas in the batter and gently place in the hot oil.
- Fry the bananas / plantains until slightly golden on both sides.
Notes
Desiccated coconut can be substituted with fresh shredded coconut too! If the batter is really thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time to dilute. #DO NOT use regular ripe bananas. They will become into a mush and will stick in oil.
- Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Thailand
Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/thai-banana-fritters-thai-kluay-kaek/
I am a soup girl for dinner and you all know that. I love, love, love Thai soups as they are so comforting. The aromas and the fragrance of the soup makes it perfect for winding up after a long day. Thai soups are ambrosial. The distinct flavor that comes from the citrusy ingredients are to die for. The traditional Tom Kha Gai is a soup made with galangal, coconut milk and chicken. We will be doing a veggie version today. Tom Kha Veggie soup with rice makes it a complete meal and will make your dinner a dynamite.
We will be making a very flavorful broth for the soup. Tom Kha literally means galangal soup. So the main flavoring ingredient in the recipe is galangal. Galangal looks like ginger but it has more woody and citrusy notes to it. There aren’t any substitutes that will come close to this ingredient. The other ingredients we will need for the broth are lemon grass and Kaffir lime leaves. Kaffir lime leaves have a very distinctive aroma. The fragrance of each of this ingredient is so unique to Thai food.
First, we will make a broth. The ingredients for the broth needs a little prep. Peel the skin of the galangal and chop them roughly. Set aside. Lemon grass needs to be crushed a little to extract the flavors from it. Take the lemon grass stalk and cut into two inch pieces. Crush each of the piece using the back of a knife or a mallet or any heavy object. Next comes the kaffir lime leaves. They need to be bruised a little. Just tear the lime leaves and try crushing them gently in the palm. The ingredients for the broth are ready.
I like to make the broth in a pressure cooker. I used my 3 liter pressure cooker today. Add in the galangal, lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves along with a cup of water. Cook for 2 whistles on medium flame. It took about 5 minutes in the cooker. Remove from heat and wait for the pressure to settle naturally. The kitchen would smell thai-licious now.
Remove the cooked ingredients using a tong or strain in a colander. Galangal and lemon grass are very hard and its usually not eaten. Once strained, the aromatic broth for the soup is ready.
Add in the veggies and salt to the strained broth and cook in the pressure cooker. Cook for 2 whistles on medium flame. It took about 5 minutes in the cooker. Remove from heat and manually remove the the pressure using a spoon or a fork.
Add in the coconut milk, spring onion, coriander leaves and simmer for a minute. Coconut milk should not be boiled for a long time. Just a mere simmer is enough. Remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves and kaffir lime leaves.
Serve hot as a soup or as a side dish with rice.
For the broth
- 2 inch piece Galangal
- 2 stalks Lemon Grass
- 6 - 7 Kaffir Lime Leaves
- 1 Cup Water ( 250 ml)
Veggies
- Half a Red Capsicum, diced
- Half a Greed Capsicum, diced
- 5 Thai Red Chillies, chopped
- 5 Spring Onions, chopped, white bottom part only
- 1 cup Cabbage, chopped
- 1 big Carrot, chopped
Other Ingredients
- 150 ml Canned Coconut Milk
- 1 teaspoon Salt
For Garnish
- 5 Spring Onions, green part only
- 3 sprigs Coriander Leaves, chopped
- 2 - 3 Kaffir Lime Leaves, torn to pieces
- Add in the chopped galangal, crushed lemon grass and crushed kaffir lime leaves along with a cup of water. Cook for 2 whistles on medium flame. Remove from heat and wait for the pressure to settle naturally.
- Remove the cooked ingredients using tongs or strain in a colander.
- Add in the veggies and salt to the strained broth and cook in the pressure cooker. Cook for 2 whistles on medium flame. Remove from heat and manually remove the the pressure using a spoon or a fork.
- Add in the coconut milk, spring onion, coriander leaves and simmer for a minute. Coconut milk should not be boiled for a long time. Just a mere simmer is enough. Remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves and kaffir lime leaves.
- Serve hot as a soup or as a side dish with rice.
Notes
You can add a little chilli paste while serving to up the spice of the dish.
- Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Thailand
