My Mother’s Banana Fritters Recipe Made From Leftover  (කෙසෙල් පැණිවළලු)

A delicious evening tea time snack

Yield – 8 

Prep time – 5 mins               Resting time – 10 mins              Cooking time – 24 mins 

Banana fritters are famous as a snack all around the world. In some cultures, they mash banana and mix with flour to make the batter for frying, while others dip banana as a whole or a split and cover with a batter for frying. I have tried couple of varieties of banana fritters. One is “Kerala Pazham Pori” from a south Indian restaurant and “Maruya” in a Philippine restaurant and I love them both.

This amazing banana fritter recipe belongs to my mother and I twisted it by using a Pani walalu maker. This is how she get rid of leftover over ripe banana instead of throwing them in the garbage. It’s a very easy recipe to make with minimum ingredients and an effective way of using leftovers in the kitchen. This crispy, golden brown and treacle glazed delicacy is perfectly pair up with a steamy cup of tea.

Are you tired of making smoothies, pancakes and banana breads from your leftover spotted banana? Give this a try. It’s easy to make, vegan friendly and can make at any time of the year as bananas are not seasonal. Why not make this easy peasy Pani walalu for the up coming Sinhala and Tamil New Year as well.  

What you need: 

• 2 medium size over ripe (spotted) Cavendish bananas, peeled 
• 1/2 cup white rice flour 
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/3 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups coconut oil
• 1/3 cup coconut treacle 

Lets make it: 

1. Put the bananas in a bowl and mash with a fork until they become smooth. 
2. Add rice flour, all purpose flour, salt, cumin seeds, cinnamon powder, baking powder and 1/4 cup regular water.
3. Mix everything together until they combine and the batter becomes thick, but runny in texture. 
4. Cover the mixture with a plate or a tea towel and rest for 10 minutes. 
5. Add coconut oil in a dry frying pan and heat for 1 – 1 1/2 minutes on high. 
6. In the meantime, add the mixture into the Pani walalu maker. 
7. When the oil is ready, gently rotate the handle of the maker and let the batter comes out. 
8. Move the Pani walalu maker in a circular motion while rotating the handle to pour the batter to make the “Pani walalu” (bangle) shape. 
9. Fry them on low to medium heat for 2-3 minutes by folding over until they become golden brown in colour. 
10. Transfer the fried ones onto a plate with paper towels to remove excess oil. 
11. Serve them on a plate / bowl and pour treacle on them. 
12. Enjoy with a hot cup of tea. 

Tips for you: 

• If you’re using sugar banana (Seeni kesel) or sour banana (Ambul kesel), use 1 cup of mashed banana. 
• To make regular shape (round) banana fritters, pour the batter using a spoon, instead of using the Pani walalu maker. 
• Can use maple syrup instead of coconut treacle.