I am a huge fan of banana chips, especially when they are seasoned with Indian-style spices. They are quite different from the traditional Spanish or Jamaican-style ones that you find everywhere, which I also love, by the way. If you ever get a chance to get them homemade, you are in for a real treat.
Banana Chips
- Thread starter Aja
- Start date
I've tried the banana chips from India also and I must agree that they are awesome. I actually had the chance to watch it being made and that was some fun too. I thought using green bananas would perhaps taste like the stained, gritty look from the raw bananas but there was none of that. The spices gave a nice mix of salty and sweet without letting you forget the banana as the main ingredient. Lovely.
MinnieinIndia
New Member
In Kerala I had banana chips flavoured with masala, but I've had the sweet type too. Now I want to find the kind that is covered in chocolate, because nothing could beat that magical combination.
Isn't Marsala sweet? Or maybe I may be confusing it with something else. I am sure banana chips could be covered in chocolate, too, as I've had plenty of frozen chocolate-covered bananas, which are delicious.
amelia88
Active Member
My health food store does have chocolate, carob and yogurt covered banana chips in addition to the usual plain ones -- so they definitely exist! I haven't tried those variations yet...trying to be healthy and all that...but they certainly look tempting!
arthnel
Member
I never thought of that before. Never at all. I know chocolate goes well with basically everything and I'm sure spicy chocolate could be a good hit. I've had masala and the blend was very mild and flavorful, not the hot one that requires water or cool drink like I've heard about. Once it does not overpower the banana chip and I can still taste that part of it I'm sure it should be very nice.
If you've only had plain banana chips, you may have found them boring. Although, I've never really seen 'plain' ones. I suppose you can get them in a health food store. The packaged ones that I always see are salted and have a little bit of garlic seasoning. They are pretty good. It's just that in India, they use different seasonings, and make them homemade.
Rose @ Walnut Acre
New Member
I love banana chips but never realized they could come in so many flavors. Some of the ones mentioned in this thread sound wonderful!
djordjem87
Member
We do not have banana chips in Serbia but we have something called dried banana slices. It is like candied banana to be more precise. It doesn't have any spice on it and I love spices. Do you have any good photos to post here. It would be great if someone has some kind of recipe for these. I can google but I like to interact with people when it comes to recipes. I am trying to connect any spice known to me with banana and how you make it into a chips. I guess it is dried. But I would really like to know more about this.
Here in America, you slice the banana into thin rounds and then dehydrate them in an oven (or a special dehydrating machine). Once enough moisture has been removed, they become crunchy like chips. You can season them however you like but I've only ever had them plain or with a bit of sugar.
arthnel
Member
I've never had the dehydrated kind before so I'm on the lookout for those. The ones I've had, even the plain ones, were deep fried in vegetable oil and lightly salted. Sometimes garlic powder is use to kick the flavor up a notch. The dehydrated version sounds good so I shall see what they are all about.
djordjem87
Member
OK. Thanks. It is basically the same but I need to make them because those bought in the stores are without seasoning and I would like to try your way. It still sounds funny to combine this, even though I tried ham and pineapple and similar combinations, nevertheless, I am going to make these as soon as possible.
djordjem87
Member
I like this forum very much because in few posts I learned several things. Now, I have seen dehydrated fruit before but we never called it chips. Although bananas in this way resemble a lot. The new thing for me was seasoning. However, I have never heard of frying bananas. Not with salt or garlic. I wonder if they would fall apart. Can you tell me for how long you fry them and if they come out too greasy? I ask because I am not a fan things soaked in grease or oil.
arthnel
Member
@djordjem87 No they won't fall apart as the bananas your selecting are the green ones so they're really sturdy. once you get through the peeling part with the stains and all that you're good to go. They are cut into thin slices (but not so thin that you can see through them). Soak them in salted water for about half an hour in the refrigerator or counter top. I think they taste saltier when left on the counter, for some reason. you will only a need about quarter cup of vegetable oil as they don't need to be immersed. Drain the slices after the half hour and simply fry them in hot oil and keep turning them until golden brown, using a basic frying pan.
Here's how to keep the grease down and the flavor up:
When they're done frying and you take them out lay them onto a plate lined with paper towel or napkins to absorb excess oil. I lay off the garlic as I think it makes it too spicy. Soaking in salted water for half hour should give enough flavor. I think the key is to try to keep the taste of the banana in the picture. I have never tried using ripe bananas before so that's an experiment in the waiting.
Here's how to keep the grease down and the flavor up:
When they're done frying and you take them out lay them onto a plate lined with paper towel or napkins to absorb excess oil. I lay off the garlic as I think it makes it too spicy. Soaking in salted water for half hour should give enough flavor. I think the key is to try to keep the taste of the banana in the picture. I have never tried using ripe bananas before so that's an experiment in the waiting.
Banana chips covered in chocolate sounds fantastic. I'm not a big fan of the packaged ones you can buy at home. I find they taste like artificial banana flavor as opposed to the real banana flavor. What other types of spices do they put on the banana chips?
This is off subject from banana chips but I thought some of you might like it -- another banana 'treat' common around here (southeast U.S.) is chocolate/granola banana pops. You take a whole banana, dip it in melted chocolate and then dip it in granola (or nuts, anything crunchy), spear it with a Popsicle stick and then freeze it.