Sunday, October 31, 2010

Kuih Kodok (Deep fried banana balls) - Featured in Group Recipes, Dishfolio & TOP 9 at FOODBUZZ


Talking about bananas, I have a funny story to tell. This happened on my first visit to Hong Kong. My girlfriend, Corine and I were shopping at a night market and Corine wanted to buy some bananas. We managed to find a store that had many types of bananas. It was manned by an old lady who was probably in her late 60s. Corine then asked her for the price of a bunch of "kung jiu" (banana in cantonese). "kung" means "male" in cantonese. Malaysians call banana "kung jiu", whereas the Hong Kong people call it "heong jiu" ("heong" means fragrant). We didn't know that. So, when Corine asked the old lady to give her a nice bunch of "kung jiu", she looked at her in disbelief and replied in a very serious tone of voice. She said, "I have been selling "hiong jiu" (bananas) for 50 years but I have never heard of "kung" (male) or "na" (female) for "hiong jiu". We laughed so hard together that we could barely conclude the purchase.

This recipe is good for over-riped bananas. Here, locally, I will not make this if I cannot get pisang raja (banana raja). These are small plantation bananas, grown and consumed here, that are very sweet, and most who make this treat do so only when they are available. However, don't let this stop you from making this lovely banana fritter, the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea or coffee in the afternoon.





Ingredients:
(A)
180 gm plain flour
½ ts baking powder
pinch of salt
(B)
500 gm slightly overripe bananas, mashed
2 cups of desiccated coconut (optional)
oil for deep frying

Method:
Sift A, add mashed bananas and mix well into a soft batter.
Heat oil in a wok until hot and drop tablespoonful of batter in. Remove with slotted ladle when golden brown and drain on absorbent paper.

Note:
For those who prefer this to be a little sweeter, coat the banana balls with icing sugar or cinnamon sugar. My family love it.

34 comments:

  1. Sophie,
    Thanks for you visit and comment. This is a nice snacks for tea time.

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  2. These look absolutely delicious, will definitely give this a try, Diane

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  3. OMG!! those look so good, and there VEGAN! AWESOME

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  4. Gorgeous photos and I love your fried banana balls recipe. Thank you for sharing. My husband and I love banana desserts so I will have to try this out soon.

    Thank you for your wonderful comments on my foccacia bread too =). Shandy

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  5. I love anything with Banana and coconut. This one looks delicious

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  6. Diane,
    I have to agree with you, there is nothing left :D So happy to see you again.

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  7. Torviewtoronto,
    The additional of coconut enhance the taste except it made it a sinful snack:D

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  8. kirsten,
    It is right up your alley right? Thanks for your visit.

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  9. Shandy,
    You are most welcome. Banana lovers must definitely try this out.

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  10. Swathi,
    Once again, thanks for your comment.

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  11. I absolutely love deep fried bananas... and this fritter version, I'm sure, would not disappoint me at all! I can't wait to try these out!

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  12. Peggy,
    Nice seeing you and love to hear from you.

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  13. Quay Po, thanks for visiting my blog! Although it's in Spanish, there is translator in the sidebar, and if you would like to have a specific recipe or have any doubt, feel free to send me an e-mail :)
    Btw, I am absolutely loving these banana balls... I think we'll have them for breakfast tomorrow! Thanks for sharing!

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  14. Hi Sara,
    Thanks for visiting me and to let me know that there is translation on your blog. I will be your regular visit. I enjoy your blog very much. Oh, please tell me how you like the banana balls after you have it.

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  15. These sound delicious! I love that they contain coconut as well :)!

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  16. Hi Amy,
    Thanks for taking time to comment. Ya adding the coconut makes it more fragrant and more tasty too.

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  17. yummo... anything with fried banana makes my ears prick up :)

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  18. hahaha meltingbutter, I like description of your liking for fried bananas!

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  19. These look so incredibly delicious! Love the photos. I laughed at the story of the banana mixup.

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  20. Thank you Po. I live in the Caribbean with lots of banana varieties. I'm always looking for ways to use those bananas that ripen too quickly.

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  21. This looks so good and so simple to make. I'm definitely making this soon. Thanks for the post!

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  22. Hi Pretend Chef,
    Thanks for your visit. I read your story about the engagement chicken recipe and thanks for the chuckle! When I was like you, I sold of the share of my trading company and follow my heart to live with my hubby in US before I was even married to him. The difference is, we decided to return to Malaysia because my Mum did not want to move from her roots. Then he closed down his business in US and follow his heart to come to live here. See what LOVE can do to us?

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  23. Hi JoAnn,
    I can understand now why you are interested in banana recipes. I would love to visit Carribean someday.

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  24. Trish,
    Thanks for your visit. Yes conquer the world with one dish at a time. Cool! Hope to see back soon.

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  25. Mmmm, that looks like the perfect fix for my couple of overripe bananas at home. Loved the language story. Always interesting how things translate.

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  26. Hi BakingWithoutaBox,
    Nice to see you here and thanks for your comment. There are many things we can do with bananas. Have you seen my recipe on the banana foster? If not, do check it out:D

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  27. These sound really good. Thanks for posting them over at dishfolio.

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  28. Dustin,
    You are most welcome. Thanks for your visit and comment.

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  29. Yummm! These look FANTASTIC!!! I may or may not be drooling =)

    xoXOxo
    Jenn L @ Peas & Crayons

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  30. Jennifer,
    Thanks for dropping by and leave your comment. I appreciate it very much.

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  31. this recipe seems easy. I am giving it a try.

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  32. Wow these look amazing and the photos are super.

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