Ingredients
Bananas
- 6pisang kepok or pisang raja, or 6 firm ripe bananas
Batter
- 150 gplain flour
- 50 grice flour
- 1 tbspcornflour
- 1 tspbaking powder
- 2 tbspsugar
- ½ tspsalt
- about 200 ml cold water or soda water
- a pinch of turmeric, for colour
To fry
- oil, for deep frying
To serve
- plain and hot
- or with grated cheese and condensed milk, in the modern style
- or with palm sugar syrup
Directions
- Cut them in half lengthways, or into thick diagonal slices, or leave small ones whole. Plain flour alone gives a soft doughy jacket that goes limp within minutes.
- Use ice-cold water or soda water and mix the batter only just before frying. Cold liquid slows gluten development and the bubbles in soda water lift the coating, both of which give a lighter crust.
- Whisk it briefly and leave it slightly lumpy rather than beating it smooth. It should coat the back of a spoon in an even layer and drip off slowly. Dip one piece and hold it up to check before committing the batch. A pinch of turmeric gives the golden colour that street versions have.
- Heat the oil to about 175°C, and use enough for the fritters to float freely. Bananas contain a lot of sugar, so oil that is too hot browns the coating before the inside has heated through.
- Oil that is too cool lets the batter absorb fat and go greasy and pale. Test with a drop of batter, which should rise immediately and sizzle steadily. Dip each piece, let the excess drip off, and lower it gently into the oil. Do not crowd the pan, which drops the temperature and makes the fritters stick together.
- Fry for three to four minutes, turning once, until deep golden and crisp. Nudge them apart if they touch in the first few seconds, before the batter sets.
- Lift them out and drain them on a rack rather than on paper. A rack keeps air moving underneath, where paper traps steam and softens the base immediately. Fry them once, let them cool for ten minutes, then fry again briefly in hotter oil.
Technique
- Cooking bananas such as pisang kepok hold their shape where dessert bananas collapse.
- Rice flour and cornflour in the batter are what make it crisp.
- The cheese and condensed milk topping is a genuine modern Indonesian style.
Substitutions
- Firm just-ripe dessert bananas if cooking varieties are unavailable.
- Plantain, which is firmer still.
Variations
- Pisang goreng kipas, cut and pressed into a fan.
- Pisang molen, wrapped in pastry rather than battered.
- Topped with cheese and condensed milk.
History
Sliced banana, most often a starchier cooking variety rather than a sweet dessert banana, coated in batter and deep-fried, developed across Indonesia, where banana cultivation has been established for centuries across the archipelago’s tropical climate, making bananas one of the most reliably abundant and affordable fruits available for a wide range of everyday cooking. Its simple technique, batter and fry, mirrors similar fried-fruit and fried-dough snacks found broadly across Southeast Asia, though Indonesia’s specific banana varieties and typical batter recipe, sometimes including rice flour or coconut, give pisang goreng its own regional character. It remains an everyday street food and snack sold widely from stalls and carts, often alongside other fried snacks, rather than treated as a formal dessert.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pisang Goreng?
Pisang Goreng is a snack from Indonesia: battered fried bananas eaten hot from street vendors. Sliced banana, most often a starchier cooking variety rather than a sweet dessert banana, coated in batter and deep-fried, developed across Indonesia, where banana cultivation has been established for centuries across the archipelago’s tropical climate, making bananas one of the most reliably abundant and affordable fruits available for a wide range of everyday cooking. Its simple technique, batter and fry, mirrors similar fried-fruit and fried-dough snacks found broadly across Southeast Asia, though Indonesia’s specific banana varieties and typical batter recipe, sometimes including rice flour or coconut, give pisang goreng its own regional character. It remains an everyday street food and snack sold widely from stalls and carts, often alongside other fried snacks, rather than treated as a formal dessert.
How long does Pisang Goreng take to make?
Pisang Goreng takes 15 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 12 fritters. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Pisang Goreng?
Yes, within limits. Firm just-ripe dessert bananas if cooking varieties are unavailable. Plantain, which is firmer still.
What is the most important thing to get right in Pisang Goreng?
Whisk it briefly and leave it slightly lumpy rather than beating it smooth. It should coat the back of a spoon in an even layer and drip off slowly. Dip one piece and hold it up to check before committing the batch. A pinch of turmeric gives the golden colour that street versions have.
