I recently caught a glimpse of my kitchen fruit bowl and thought, “Well, that’s going to be a problem.” It seems my boyfriend and I had both bought bags of bananas, and they were all of the same ripeness—too young to eat, and a mere six days from going overripe all at once. This is a recipe for waste, so instead of waiting for the inevitable, I took action and made my favorite Thai banana treat, gluay khaek.
In Thailand, gluay khaek is a fried banana snack that is sort of like a fritter. It's made with the diminutive local variety of the fruit, nam wah bananas, which are dunked in a rice flour batter laced with sesame seeds and shredded coconut, and fried. The bananas come out of the oil with a browned crunchy shell and soft, almost custardy insides. You really can't eat just one. Or three. Or five. Which is why you'll use up all those extra bananas before you know it.
The nam wah banana is sweet, firm, and the perfect size for this bite-sized snack, but you don’t need that exact variety to make a bangin’ Thai-style fried banana. If you can't find "baby" bananas in your grocery store, use whichever sweet banana is available to you. You also don't want bananas that are too ripe—slightly greenish bananas are firm enough to hold up to the frying and their subtle sweetness is amplified by cooking, while I used just-yellow bananas, which also hold up and get nice and creamy after frying.
I don't suggest using spotted or overly ripe bananas—they'll break apart in the batter and you'll end up with a flavor that's way too sweet. It takes a little forethought, but this recipe is a great way to solve a glut of bananas before they become a problem.
The batter is so quick that you’ll be ready to fry at the same time the oil is hot. Pour a neutral frying oil into a deep pot. You only need about an inch to an inch and a half of oil. Heat it on medium-low heat until it reaches 350°F. You want to keep the oil in a range from 350°F to 375°F.
While the oil heats, add the rice flour (be sure to use regular rice flour, like this one, and not glutinous rice flour, which yields a chewy texture you aren't looking for here), coconut shreds, sugar, salt, baking powder, and sesame seeds to a small mixing bowl. (Either toasted or un-toasted sesame seeds will work fine.) Stir it all together with a rubber spatula to blend the dry ingredients. Pour in the water and stir it until the batter is well combined. The batter should be loose, but still coat the back of a spoon. It shouldn’t be thick like brownie batter. If you feel it’s too thick, add a spoonful of water and assess the consistency from there.
Peel your bananas and slice them on a deep bias to make thick slices. Aim for one inch thick by two inches long, but just work with whatever the banana size allows. Thicker is better than too thin. If they’re too thin they could break up in the batter. Put a few slices in the bowl and use a spoon to cover them in batter.
Once your oil is hot, you can start frying. Use a fork to scoop the bananas out of the batter and let any excess globs of batter drop into the bowl. Add the battered banana slices to the oil and fry them for about three to four minutes, or until they’ve browned evenly and deeply. Put them on a wire cooling rack over a sheet pan to drain and cool for a few minutes before eating.
These sweet Thai fried banana bites are absolutely irresistible. The crunchy sesame and coconut-dotted shell gives way to an utterly silky banana center. Like most fried foods, Gluay khaek are truly best eaten right away, as after a couple hours they lose a lot of their crunch—so snack away!
Ingredients:
3-4 large bananas, peeled
¾ cup rice flour
¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
3 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
⅔ cup cool water
Neutral frying oil
1. Pour one to two inches of oil into a pot for frying. Heat it over medium-low to 350°F.
2. In a small mixing bowl, stir the rice flour, coconut, sugar, salt, baking powder, and sesame seeds. Add the water and stir to combine.
3. Slice the bananas on a bias to make pieces about the size of your thumb. Roughly one inch thick by two inches long, if the banana allows it.
4. Dunk the banana slices into the batter, use a spoon to help coat the pieces. Use a fork to help scoop out the banana pieces, allowing excess to drop off, and fry them for 3 to 4 minutes. The gluay khaek should be well-browned on all sides. Drain the fried bananas on a wire cooling rack for a few minutes before serving.
