Remember these beautiful green bananas I had shared some time ago?

They came from one of the banana plants here in the compound and I have been thinking of different ways to use them up before they ripen.

This time round I decided to deep fry them. Not too healthy but it is ok once in a while right? This is a very straight forward recipe similar to the way I make vegetable pakora and I eyeballed the measurements.

For the batter, I used chickpea flour, rice flour, paprika, a pinch of cayenne, garlic powder, salt and pepper and mixed herbs. I did not add any water to the flour mixture.

Tip: Peel your green bananas under running water to avoid the sticky sap that’s hard to get off your hands.

Once peeled and cleaned, slice them into wedges, then add the wedges to the flour mixture and mix well.

Deep fry them in batches till crispy and golden brown.

I served this with a simple kachumbari salad of grated carrot, red onion, coriander, tomato, salt, pepper and a pinch of chaat masala.

This is a perfect dish for a quick dinner, great for the kids’ lunchboxes or even as a crunchy and filling snack.

The baked lentil balls were from leftover boiled toor dal which I mashed with mixed spices, salt and pepper and baked in a 200°C oven for 20 minutes.

They were also great for leftover lunch with beetroot pilau and a simple salad.

I have been enjoying thinking up, searching for and adjusting various green banana recipes, which are all up here on the blog already.

From mashing them up for a matoke cottage pie dinner, steaming them with groundnut sauce, making tasty breakfast porridge, stewing them, baking them as fries or a pan fry, making them into crisps or as a curry, the possibilities with this fibre rich starchy fruit are endless.

Green bananas are tasty, filling, nutritious and quite versatile, all the recipes are worth a try!