Pisang Goreng Recipe / Malaysian Banana Fritters Recipe

This super crispy, crunchy pisang goreng recipe is quick to whip up for breakfast or dessert.

Pisang goreng (also written 'goreng pisang') simply means 'fried banana', and is a super popular snack in Malaysia. I always go to the same little family-run stall in Lido Square whenever I'm in Kota Kinabalu for my pisang goreng fix.

Making them at home is relatively simple – you can either use all rice flour, or a mixture of different grain flours. The lower the wheat flour content (if you're using it), the lighter and crispier the batter – but I do like to add a little wheat flour for extra body.

Too much wheat flour, and the result will be less crisp, but still good: I used to make banana fritters with a flour-and-egg batter mixture, which results in a more cakey, only slightly crisp batter when fried. The crispest pisang goreng recipes all do without the egg, though.

This combination of ingredients is just what I ended up liking the most after lots of experimentation – but do feel free to play with the ratio of flours, types of milk used, using water instead of milk etc.

If you can source little finger-length bananas, they're infinitely better than the large Cavendish ones we get at Western supermarkets because of their flavour and firmness. But if you can't, use Cavendish while they're still a little green. Extremely ripe plantains also apparently work well for making pisang goreng (but remember only to eat plantains after cooking if you're using them instead of bananas).

Pisang goreng are best eaten freshly-made as the moisture in the bananas will eventually make the batter less crisp over time.

You can also watch me make these on my YouTube channel, Tashcakes:

Ready? Let's go.

Ingredients:

130g rice flour
10g cornflour
15g plain flour (or gluten free plain flour)
1 tbsp custard powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp caster sugar
Pinch of salt
200ml coconut milk
10 large bananas, peeled and halved
Vegetable oil for frying

Method:

1. Stir all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, and then gradually stir in the coconut milk – add the coconut milk bit by bit to avoid lumps.

2. In a large saucepan or a wok, heat enough vegetable oil for deep frying on a medium heat until a wooden chopstick that's dipped in the oil sizzles gently after a second or two after submerging.

3. Dip the banana halves in the batter, with a fork, gently lower them into the oil, and fry until golden. Be careful not to overcrowd your pan – do it in batches.

4. Drain the fried bananas on a kitchen paper-lined plate or wire rack, and cool for a minute or two before serving still warm.

Enjoy, and have fun.