Vietnamese banana fritters

We’ve recently returned from an amazing holiday in Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.  We ate the most incredible food, did a cookery class in the middle of the jungle beside the Mekong river, and spent a day touring the street food secrets of Hanoi.  Last night, back at home, we cooked some of our favourite recipes from the trip for a meal with our friends.  For dessert, I made these Vietnamese street food favourites, banana fritters.  They are dangerously easy!

Ingredients

3 just-ripe bananas

100g rice flour

200ml coconut milk

50g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp sunflower oil

Icing sugar, for dusting

Method

1. Cut the bananas in half lengthways, then chop them into 3-inch pieces.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the rice flour, coconut milk, sugar and vanilla until it is smooth and lump-free.
3. Add the bananas and mix to coat in the batter.
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and spoon the bananas into the sizzling pan.  Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown (you may have to do this in several batches).
5. Place on paper towels and dust with a little sifted icing sugar.  Serve warm with ice cream or custard.

Recipe adapted from ‘My Vietnamese Kitchen’ by Uyen Luu