Bakabana

Ingredients

Plantain

• 3ripe plantains
• with skins turning black

Batter

• 200 gplain flour
• 1 teaspoonbaking powder
• 1 tablespoonsugar
• 1/2 teaspoonsalt
• about 250 ml water or soda water
• 1/2 teaspoonground cinnamon, optional

Peanut sauce

• 200 gunsweetened peanut butter
• 250 mlhot water
• 2garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoonketjap manis, sweet soy sauce
• 1 tablespoonsambal, or to taste
• juice of 1 lime
• salt to taste

To fry

• neutral oil, for deep frying

Directions

1. Press one gently to check it gives slightly. Ripen them in a paper bag if they are too firm. Cut both ends off with a knife. Score the skin lengthways along one ridge. Peel the skin away with your thumb. Cut each plantain lengthways into long slices. Aim for about one centimetre thick.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together. Add the cinnamon if you are using it. Add the water gradually while whisking.
3. Whisk until it is completely smooth. It should be thick enough to coat the plantain. Let it rest for ten minutes before using it. Making the peanut sauce takes ten minutes. Put the peanut butter in a saucepan. Add the hot water a little at a time. Whisk it into a smooth cream after each addition.
4. Set the pan over a low steady heat. Add the crushed garlic and the ketjap manis. Add the sambal and stir it through. Simmer it gently for about five minutes. Stir it constantly, since peanut sauce catches easily. Squeeze in the lime juice off the heat.
5. Taste it and adjust the salt, lime and sambal. It should be savoury, hot and slightly sweet. Add hot water if it has thickened too far. It should pour easily for dipping. Pour oil into a deep pan to about six centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil. Heat it to about 175C and check with a thermometer. Do not let the oil get too hot.
6. Dip each slice into the batter. Let the excess drip off for a moment. Lower it carefully into the hot oil. Fry four or five slices at a time. Fry them for about three minutes on each side.
7. Turn them once with a slotted spoon. They should be deep golden and crisp all over. Lift them onto a wire rack rather than kitchen paper. Let the oil recover between batches. Serving them is always done hot. Pile the fritters onto a plate or into paper.
8. Serve the peanut sauce in a bowl alongside. They soften within twenty minutes of frying. Fry them to order rather than in advance. The sauce keeps four days refrigerated.

Technique

• Javanese contract labourers were brought to Suriname by the Dutch from 1890 onward, and Javanese food is now a substantial part of Surinamese eating.
• Ketjap manis, the thick sweet Indonesian soy sauce, is not interchangeable with ordinary soy sauce.

Substitutions

• Unsweetened natural peanut butter works well for the sauce.
• Bought Indonesian peanut sauce can be thinned and used if you are short of time.

Variations

• Some stalls serve the sauce poured over rather than alongside.
• A version with sweet potato instead of plantain is also sold.
• Similar battered fried plantain appears across the Dutch Caribbean.

History

Battered fried plantain served with peanut sauce, a Javanese-Creole snack sold from stalls and street kitchens.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bakabana?

Bakabana is a snack from Suriname: battered fried plantain dipped in spicy peanut sauce. Battered fried plantain served with peanut sauce, a Javanese-Creole snack sold from stalls and street kitchens.

How long does Bakabana take to make?

Bakabana takes 20 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Bakabana?

Yes, within limits. Unsweetened natural peanut butter works well for the sauce. Bought Indonesian peanut sauce can be thinned and used if you are short of time.

What is the most important thing to get right in Bakabana?

Taste it and adjust the salt, lime and sambal. It should be savoury, hot and slightly sweet. Add hot water if it has thickened too far. It should pour easily for dipping. Pour oil into a deep pan to about six centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil. Heat it to about 175C and check with a thermometer. Do not let the oil get too hot.