Africa: Seychelles: Seychellios Gato Bannann Seselwa (Banana Fritters)
These Seychellois Banana Fritters – pti gato bannann Seselwa – are light and fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. They are a great way to use up really ripe bananas.
INGREDIENTS:
100 ml milk, warmed
1 sachet instant yeast (7 g)
2 ripe bananas, mashed
275 g plain flour
20 g butter, melted
1 egg-whisked
1 tsp ground cinnamon (½ for the batter ½ for dusting)
2 tbsp icing sugar for dusting
¼ tsp nutmeg powder
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped or ½ tsp vanilla essence
3 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
Vegetable oil for deep frying
INSTRUCTIONS:
Peel and mash the bananas with a fork.
In a large bowl combine the flour with the melted butter, egg, cinnamon, nutmeg powder, vanilla seeds, sugar and salt.
Add the yeast mixture. Mix the batter for 5 minutes until sticky.
Add the banana and fold through.
Cover and leave to prove for 30 minutes or up to an hour in a warm spot of the kitchen so it doubles in size (the time will depend on the temperature in your kitchen).
Fill a pan with about 6 cm of oil over a medium to high heat.
Knock back the dough by mixing with a spoon.
Using 2 service spoons, gently place dollops of the dough into the oil and deep fry until golden and crisp all over.
Use a slotted spoon to carefully turn the fritters over onto the other side to evenly cook and become golden. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Transfer the fritters onto kitchen paper to remove any excess oil.
Mix the remaining cinnamon powder with your icing sugar and transfer in a shaker
Place the fritters on a serving platter and dust with icing sugar and cinnamon powder. Allow to cool completely before serving. Why not top the fritters with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream.
NOTES:
The two main bananas that have been traditionally used for the fritters are the bannann mil, also known as sour banana, and gabou- cavendish. I prefer the bannann mil because the slight sour taste adds another layer of flavour to the fritters.
It is recommended that you allow the fritters to cool down completely before eating.
