May 13, 2009

Pazham Pori or is it Appam? /Smushy Plantain Fritters

If I stay away from the computer for too long then I feel hesitant to come back and blog..it's like entering a party late and hoping you haven't missed out on the happenings.
I had another exam to cover last week and I had a blogging ban by my better half so resisted spending all my online time surfing aimlessly. So I wrote anyway but put all my thoughts into draft, saving it with the intention of blogging everyday! This week, kept wondering which one to start with and hesitated...finally got tired of seeing the same post and decided to change it before people unsubscribe to my feed burner!

The weather is changing for the better and the days are getting longer, meaning I am out of the house longer... taking the kids to their myriad activities and then to the park etc..Dinner seems to come in the way of savoring the sunlight. It's so beautiful all around now... with all the dry dead brushes and bare branches all covered with flowers and leaves.

When there is so much greenery sprouting around, it's hard to sit down and put it into words. The lushness of the new leaves, the soft carpets of the lawns, the feathery leaves on the trees....the light green reminds me of the diminishing paddy fields but only just so.. the green in Kerala is a vivid green, contrasting so deeply with the red laterite soil that it stays in the mind long after the image has faded.

Laterite is quarried and cut into blocks and used as brickstones for house-building. They are used for rough walls between properties and for lining wells and ponds. The laterite is a soft stone with surface texture and it allows the roots of the plants to penetrate it, becoming a planting bed if the surface is not closed with plaster. When the walls are broken down, the blocks are crumbled and worked back into the earth

The rambling vines and undergrowth cover every inch of the laterite walls to create a symphony of varying shades of green and red. The undergrowth is always renewing itself and the color is always lush. Truly an organic and sustainable building material!!!

Here in two more weeks, the lushness will give away to a dull green, as if the leaves were forever there and the greenery will fade into the background. The lawns will slowly reveal what they really are.. just dry wild grass forced into submission by weekly (expensive) mowing and endless watering...the trappings of suburbia.



But let's enjoy the intermittent spring showers and new growth it brings. What's the best way to celebrate this cool weather? Maybe fry up some fritters and a cup of tea...hmm...maybe masala tea. These plantain fritters can be made with regular bananas too. I end up making this whenever I buy plantains and they get too ripe too soon.

You will need:
Fully ripe blackish colored plantains-2
All Purpose Unbleached Flour (Maida)-1 cup
Rice flour (optional)- 1 tbsp
Sugar -1tbsp
Kalonji/Onion Seeds - a pinch
Water - 1/4 cup
Salt -a very small pinch.
Oil - for frying

Preparation Method:

1. Peel and cut the ripe banana into 2 sections. (Wash your hands well if you are using hands.) Then smash the banana with your hands into a mushy mess. It should have some lumps left for texture and should not be a puree. This is fun.... you could even get your kids to do it. They enjoy the messiness of the banana squirting thru the fingers.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together and then add water slowly while stirring to make a smooth paste. It should be lump free and not too watery. If it does become watery, add a little more flour. Add the banana and mix it well.
3. Heat oil in a skillet. You could fry this in a Unniappam chatti/Aebleskiver Pan too.
4. Slowly slide one spoonful/dollop of the banana mix into the oil.You could fry 4 or 5 at a time based on the size of your pan. Deep fry on medium heat till it turns a golden brown. Make sure the oil is hot before adding the batter. (It's hot if you put a drop of the batter and it rises to the top in a second.)If the oil is not hot enough, the fritters will absorb too much oil. Once it heats up, you could reduce it to medium heat. Drain onto paper towels and serve.

26 comments:

indosungod said...

Shaheen, feel the same, the grass all looks like beautiful green carpet and atrractive though I am not very fond of them.

Plantain fritters the delight of any child and adult.

Finla said...

Why do you want to torture me like this by making them and blogging it.
You may call them what eve ryou want, reminds me of comming home after school and then smelling them while entering the garden.
DELICIIOUS.

Sakshi said...

You are like the weather here...I keep checking for your posts and one unexpected day there you are. Even if I miss India one thing I like about this part of the country is the weather..love the fact that it is so unpredictable..sunny day and all of a sudden while am walking the rains drench me...bliss!!

Pazham Pori isn't it the unavoidable snack that is dished up in every household and shops back in malabar? hmm..never knew would miss these things..lolz. Your pics are tempting me again and this evening I am having a date with a cup of tea and these handsome fritters over some kerala memories for sure...

Hope will get to see more of ur dishes and posts

sra said...

I made the other variety of pazham pori a couple of times in quick succession last year - we found some very ripe nendrapazham - loved it. A first for us. We just dipped the slices in batter, didn't mix it all up like this.

Lena Jayadev said...

wow..first comment frm me :) dish n snap, both r superb as usual..im a person who try ur dishes on every saturday for past 7months..den, one dy i felt to start a blog as my husband suggested..full inspiration was ur blog..nw its 2mnths , i started one....hope to see you in my blog :)

My comfort food network said...

Love Pazham Pori anytime.

Manju said...

i love this!! i call it pazham pori and appam depending on who im talking to :) i dont add kalonji to this though!

Anonymous said...

so exams done with...
lookin forward to lots of dishes frm u now
this is one of those nameless ' appams' in my household

ki

anudivya said...

That is killer! Looks so good... I wish I could make them right this moment.

amna said...

whatever you call it, I want one :D

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

We call it pazham pori, my fav..ooks yummy and mouthwaterin!!!

gtyuk said...

delicious after school treat, lucky kids! I call it aappam :)

Shah cooks said...

indo, How is ur volunteering going? u are making me feel like doing something in my area too!!

Happycook, torture? :)guess what i have never made this as an after school snack but now u gave me an idea. we actually call them pazham njamakkiporichathu!

sakshi, u like the unpredictability of the weather.. i like it when it is super hot and the next day everything cools down dramatically. really appreciate the weather then.
yeah, pazham pori is my fav snack anytime..but it has to be mouth burning hot.can't bear it once it cools down.

Shah cooks said...

sra, i always buy plantains but then they get too ripe to do the dip-fry so then i squish it up and make this. this has a different taste...more like a unniappam.

lena, saw ur wonderful blog but couldn't leave a comment there. good thing that u started one too..now i can converse with ur thru it.:))

my comfort..u made banana cake..maybe i should add raspberries to this batter next time.

superchief.. kalonji is optional.. i like the flavor but i make it without it too.

Shah cooks said...

ki, if i pass..exams done with..but i get so many nightmares abt it that i am not sure..:((
i knew u would be making this.:)

Bong Mom said...

Good your exams are over in time for summer

Even we make it and I loved the smell

Geeta said...

Love these

ranjita said...

hi,
I am a big fan of all your wonderful recipes...I am frm kerala too..The place where I am staying now, I dont get nenthrapazham :( ..I am drooling over ur pic..can I make this using yellow chiquita bananas??Please reply..Thanks..

Shah cooks said...

ranjita, u could make this with chiquita bananas too.. i don't see why not. :))where do u live?

ranjita said...

I live in amsterdam :)...I am off to get some bananas right away...

Myra said...

Hi Shaheen
How are you ? cool exams are over now the suspense for the results fingers x
the beignets look delicious,i would drizzle some honey or syrup over them Mmmmmmm ,forget the diet!!!!!!!!! x
yours Myra

Renuka said...

Wow..pazham pori...kothiyavunnu...looks yummy...

lubnakarim06 said...

Oh wow that is really yummylicious.....

Mahek said...

HI
you write so well!!!
i love the way you can express yourself....
lovely photograph....

Pavithra Elangovan said...

Looking so yummy i am drooling here..

bee said...

my favourite. thanks for your recipe, dear shaheen.