Banana/Plantain Chips

Banana Chips/Plantain Chips are a popular snack that is said to have originated in the southern state of Kerala in India. Due to its lovely humid and tropical climate, this state produces plenty of bananas and plantains, which are used in their cuisine in various dishes.

Recently, I shared the recipe for Raw Banana Sabzi, which can be served as a side with rice and sambar/rasam. Do check it out!

Coming back to Banana Chips: This delicious snack is now known worldwide and is quite popular in other southern states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Telangana, and Karnataka. In Bangalore, where I have lived for many years, these chips are freshly made in a popular food chain called ‘Hot Chips’. These small shops sell dry snacks that are freshly prepared and served to customers. In these shops, it is common to see the shop vendors seated outside the shop frying banana and potato chips to perfection and packing and selling them to eager customers.

Although banana chips are available in supermarkets in Germany, where I live, the flavours are not entirely similar to those commonly sold in India. Some Indian shops stock banana chips, but sometimes they are old and have lost their flavour.

So, lately, whenever I crave these chips, I buy raw bananas and make this snack at home. They are pretty easy to make and require little time and effort.

I sometimes make them in my air fryer and sometimes the traditional way, by deep frying. I like the deep-fried version more and would choose it anytime over the air-fried version.

By the way, if you are looking for other dry snack recipes, you can check out my page on all dry snacks that you can store and enjoy for days together.

In this post, I have shared both methods: Banana Chips made in an Air Fryer and Banana Chips made in the traditional way by deep frying. Also, I have shared two popular flavours: salt and red chilli and salt and black pepper.

Let’s check out the recipe:

The first step is to prepare the bananas/plantains. Follow these steps.

Wash them and give them a couple of cuts along the length. These cuts will help peel off the skin easily. Then, peel the bananas.

Then, cut them into thin slices.

Equipment Needed:

• Knives and Cutting Board/slicer
• Pan for frying/Air Fryer
• Spatula/Slotted Spoon

You can check out all the kitchen equipment I use in my article: Setting Up My Indian Kitchen in Germany.

Ingredients to make Banana Chips:

Banana Chips in Air Fryer

• 2 Raw Bananas/Plantains
• ⅓ tsp Turmeric Powder
• Spice Mix
• 2 tbsp Oil

Banana Chips by frying in Oil

• 2 Raw Bananas/Plantains
• ⅓ tsp Turmeric Powder
• Spice Mix
• Oil for frying

Spice Mix Flavour 1

• ¾ tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp Red Chilli Powder

Spice Mix Flavour 2

• ¾ tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp Black Pepper Powder

Method to make Banana Chips:

Banana Chips in Air Fryer

• Combine oil, salt, and turmeric powder in a bowl and mix well. Rub this mixture on thinly sliced bananas.
  
  
  
• Grease the air fryer tray and place the banana slices in one layer.
  
  
  
• Air Fry at 180 degrees C for 8 minutes. Then take out the basket and toss the chips. Add the spice mix of your choice and mix.
  
  
  
• Then, air fry them at 160 degrees C for another 8 minutes, checking in between to ensure that the chips don’t burn.
  
  
  
• Once they are crispy, remove them and let them cool. Consume immediately or store in a clean, dry, airtight jar.
  
  

Banana Chips by frying in Oil

• Heat oil in a pan.
• Rub turmeric powder on the banana slices.
  
  
  
• On medium heat, fry the banana slices.
  
  
  
• Once they turn crispy, remove them with a slotted spoon.
  
  
  
• Immediately add the spice mix of your choice. Toss to ensure the spice mix sticks to the chips.
  
  
  
• Consume immediately or store in a clean, dry, airtight jar.
  
  

Some more information:

1. You can make these chips with bananas or plantains. The results are similar. Ensure that the bananas or plantains are raw.
2. Banana slices should be as thin as possible, or they won’t become crispy.
3. In the deep-frying method, it is important to add the spice mix immediately after removing the fried chips from the oil. That way, the spices will stick to the chips.
4. Raw bananas are available in some supermarkets in Germany and quite commonly available in Indian/Asian shops.

Check out the recipe in printable format:

Check out other recipes from my kitchen here.

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