CHALLENGE #39 - It's Bananas! Teler Pitha

[moetushie]

Growing up, a bunch of overripe bananas could only mean one thing: a showdown between my mom and I. On one corner was me, with a burning desire for banana bread. On the other, my mom, determined to make teler pitha. Who would win???

Usually my mom, because while I love banana bread, I'm also pretty lazy about actually getting to the kitchen!

But teler pitha are pretty good -- they're fried banana fritters, after all. I especially love the crust on them -- deep brown and almost caramel-y rich, with tender banana insides. The definition of comfort food, for all that you might be making them in a cramped apartment kitchen, instead of outdoors, with an open flame and It's hard to mess up.

Ingredients:
3 medium sized overripe bananas, mashed
1 cup rice flour (or 1/2 cup AP flour, 1/2 cup rice flour, or all AP)
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar or equivalent sugar substitute (add more or less according to your sweetness preference)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Pinch of salt
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Whisk flour(s), baking powder, baking soda, salt together in a bowl, set aside. In another bowl, mix bananas, sugar, egg and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients with dry and mix. Batter will be very thick. Add a tsp of water if it's too thick, but you don't want a runny batter.

2. Prepare for the frying. I'm pretty leery of deep-frying and end up going for a more shallower pan with less oil. Frying with faint praise. Drop rounded spoonfuls of batter in to the oil once it's hot enough. Don't over crowd the pan -- fry in batches.

The pitha are done when they have turned deep brown (but you can take them out when they're lighter colored -- up to you.)

3. Serve immediately, with a light dusting of powdered sugar (if feeling fancy.)

Now that I think of it, isn't teler pitha fried banana bread? Isn't banana bread baked teler pitha? Food for thought!