The Mexican Breakfast Cookbook: Sweet and Spicy Morning Meals (1992) – Banana Fritters
McMahan, Jacqueline Higuera. The Mexican Breakfast Cookbook: Sweet and Spicy Morning Meals. Lake Hughes, CA: The Olive Press, 1992. P12-13. [TX716. M4 M39343 1992]
By Amanda Healy, an undergraduate nutrition student at UTSA
Banana fritters are a common Mexican dish for breakfast, or desert, especially for large family get-togethers. “Fritters” simply indicates that the food is coated in batter and deep fried.
This is not a recipe I would normally make due to the high fat content from frying them in oil and the high amount of sugar involved. However, I highly recommend banana fritters to anyone looking for an easy treat to bring to a party, or even for a breakfast or dessert with the family.
Banana Fritters
Introduction from the cookbook: When Beryl and I weren’t baking bananas we were making these fritters. They are delicious for brunch or to accompany any Mexican breakfast (lunch or dinner). The batter light and the Banana Fritters taste good hours later but they are at their perfection when still warm.
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Ingredients and Equipment 6 firm bananas, peeled and halved
- 1 cup all-purpose, unbleached flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 cups canola oil for frying
- 2 tablespoons sugar plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon for sprinkling
1. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together. Beat milk, egg, vanilla, and vegetable oil together. Add to the dry ingredients, stirring until just blended. Add a couple teaspoons more milk if the batter seems too stiff
2. While you are doing this, the oil can be heating for the frying process. A deep 3-quart saucepan or an electric skillet can be used. Cover a large platter or baking sheet with several thickness of paper towels
3. Heat the oil to 360o or test by dropping a teaspoon of the batter into the oil. If it sizzles and turns golden brown the oil is ready. Place 2 banana quarters in at a time in the batter and then gently lower into the hot oil. As the fritters cook, use a spatula to turn them over, making sure they do not stick to the bottom of the pan. Cook the fritters until they are golden on both sides. Then place them on the paper towels and blot to remove oil
4. Sprinkle the warm banana fritters with cinnamon sugar mix. When they are warm the insides are like banana pudding. The outsides remain crisp even when they are slightly cool. Makes 24 fritters. Serves 8 or less if you are serving children.
In the Kitchen:
While making the banana fritters, I noticed that although the recipe was simple, there were a few challenges to overcome while making them. Preparing the ingredients was rather straightforward and went smoothly, as it only consisted of mixing together several ingredients. During the time that the oil was heating up in the pan, I tested it with the batter it to be sure it was hot enough to begin. When I placed the first banana into the batter it was hard to get it out because the batter was very slimy and kept dripping off the banana so my fingers got really messy! After placing it into the oil, it immediately began to fry and sizzle. My first fritter slightly stuck to the bottom of the pan because I wasn’t fast enough in turning it over, but it still came out well.
Once I began making progress, I encountered another obstacle because the oil wasn’t as hot anymore, so I had to wait about ten minutes for it to heat up to 360* F so the fritters would cook properly. I removed the fritters from the oil, one by one, and placed them on the stack of paper towels. Immediately, I noticed the oil start to dry up and therefore I had to quickly sprinkle the fritters with the cinnamon sugar.
After cleaning up in the kitchen and all the utensils I used for measuring the ingredients, I was finally able to try one of the banana fritters. I had never tried them before, and they were delicious!
