FRIED BANANAS! Yesss! I got the idea to make tempura bananas with a chocolate-coconut sauce when I looked in the pantry and noticed I had leftover coconut from some cookies I made last year! Since I hate to waste anything, I figured I’d fry something! Think coconut fried shrimp, but with the deliciousness of bananas and chocolate!
The bananas are dipped in a light tempura batter that’s mixed with a sprinkling of warm cinnamon and fizzy seltzer. Before frying, I dust the battered bananas with some shredded coconut…it not only adds some crunchy sweetness, but also makes it look so much cooler (who doesn’t love spiky desserts??)! Don’t fry the bananas too long or the fruit will “melt”….when you only fry it for a few seconds, the banana maintains a firmness that not only tastes better but it makes dipping into the chocolate-coconut sauce so much easier! Speaking of that sauce – it’s only 3 ingredients! The coconut smells so good and is a clever update to boringly normal chocolate sauce. Feel free to microwave this too if you don’t want to set up a double boiler.
This entire recipe is so good and takes less than 10 minutes to have on the table, so you seriously have no excuse not to make this one!
4 bananas
Up to ¾ cup shredded coconut
Vegetable oil
Batter:
1 ½ cups seltzer water
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon corn starch
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Chocolate-Coconut Sauce:
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup coconut milk
¼ teaspoon coconut extract (optional…but recommended!)
Heat 2-3 inches of frying oil in a pot to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (or do what I do – put ONE drop of water in the oil after waiting 5 minutes for it to heat up. When the oil sizzles/splatters on impact, you’re most likely ready to fry. Just be careful).
Mix together the batter ingredients, but don’t over whisk – you want to keep it fizzy so the batter fries up airy/light!
Peel the bananas. Dip each into the batter, then sprinkle with shredded coconut.
Fry 1-2 bananas at a time for around 30 seconds each. It’s a quick fry, but lightly golden!
Using a spider or slotted spoon, remove immediately from the oil. “Drain” on a paper towel lined plate.
Serve with the chocolate-coconut sauce!
Chocolate-Coconut Sauce:
Put the chocolate and coconut milk in a mixing bowl over a pot with simmering water (double boiler). Mix until melted, creamy, and thick. Mix in the coconut extract (if using). Serve with toasted coconut on top (toast coconut by putting some shredded coconut into a dry skillet over medium heat. Takes 2 minutes).
Enjoy!
