Locally called “Upperi” and is an ethnic Kerala snack heartily savoured by everyone. It is an integral part of traditional Kerala meal. No Sadya, Onam lunch is complete without the crunchy punch of “Upperi”.
I was known as – the girl from the Banana house!
My childhood revolved around Banana plants. In the middle of the city it was rare to find a big piece of green land and a cute little house surrounded with various vegetable and fruit bearing plants that was enough to nourish my family. Oh my Dream house!! Major plantation was Bananas plants and my Mom would ensure to use every part of the plant – steam, blossom, flowers, raw & ripe bananas. Mom prepared a variety of dishes with all the parts of the plant but we never thought of making chips. You know why?
There are a variety of Banana species and out of them only 20 varieties are commercially grown. The raw banana produced in my green land are good to be cooked and eaten when raw or enjoy as fruit when ripe, but not for chips.
In the past, every house had an ace Plantain chips Chef and usually it was the Grand moms. Those matriarchs had the interest, time and patience for it.
Choosing the raw bananas involves skill, but the recipe is super simple. Get raw Nendran’s, peel and slice the vegetable into thin rounds, heat oil in an iron wok, drop the slices into the boiling coconut oil to deep fry them, remove when they turn golden crisp.
When deep-fried to the right texture, this nice and crispy snack resembles a heap of gold coins that’s why I call them the "Golden beauties of Kerala". The flavour is so tempting and addictive, and this can be blamed on its caramelized sugar content, nutty-crisp texture and the delicate flavor that makes perception of a healthy snack.
Both ripe and unripe Plantains can be used for Chip preparation. The chips may be simply coated with salt or with masala for spicy variation. Plain Plantain chips are also called "Pachkkaya Varuthathu".
Here goes the recipe.
Ingredients:
- 4 unripe Plaintains/Nenthrakaya
- 1/2 tsp of Turmeric powder
- 2 + 2 tsp of Salt
- 1 cup of Water
- Coconut oil for deep frying
Procedure:
In a large bowl take 4 to 5 cups of water, add 2 tsp salt, combine well and set aside.
Tip1: Before peeling off the Plantains rub few drops of oil on your palm and fingers to avoid the black stains on your hands.
Put long slits on the Plantain peels and this will help you to easily pull off the peels. Refer to my video. Soak the peeled plantains into the water for 15 to 20 minutes.
Once you finish the peeling, again apply oil all over fingers and then wash off your hands.
Tip2: Dipping peeled banana in salt water helps to remove the stickiness and raw stains of plantain and to prevent them from discoloring.
In a small bowl take ½ tsp Turmeric, 2 tsp Salt and 1 cup Water, combine well to prepare Turmeric-Salt water solution. We will use this solution while frying the chips.
For this recipe you definitely need a Slicer. The sharper the slicer, will be thinner and scrips chips. You can either slice the Plantains directly onto the oil or you may slice them ahead and then fry in batches. In case you don’t have Slicer, a sharp knife will do your work. Slice the Plantains into very thin rounds.
You can test the oil by adding a slice of Plantain, it would immediately bubble and come to the surface. Once the oil is hot enough, carefully slice the plantains directly onto the oil or add the pre-sliced Plantains to deep fry.
Give a rest of 5 seconds and then stir. Once the chips are half done, reduce the flame to low and spoon in approx. 4 tsp of Turmeric-salt water solution.
Alert: Stay away while pouring this solution because the oil will start bubbling and might splash out and that is the reason to reduce the flame to lowest.
Once the splashing is over, raise the heat to medium and gently stir it, flipping on both sides, otherwise the slices might break. Always fry the chips on low to medium heat so that they become crisps. Once the chips are completely fried, drain them with a slotted spoon and rest it in a colander with a plate below to catch any oil drippings.
Tip3: Keep stirring continuously so the chips are evenly golden fried.
Tip4: Once the bubbles stop appearing this means the chips are ready to be out of the oil.
Repeat for the next batches and add in approx. 2 spoons of the Turmeric-salt water solution as the oil already contains some Turmeric-salt. Allow the chips to cool and store them in an airtight container for more than 2 weeks upto 4 weeks.
At this time point to give my personal touch I will fry a bunch of Curry Leaves and green chillies, until they are crisp and add it to the Banana chips or call it as Upperi's.
Such a simple super easy and instant snack that can be prepared and stored for a longer time. Stay tuned for yummier and nutritional loaded recipes.
Do try this recipe and let me know if you like it through comments. Be kind to like my page and share with your friends using the buttons on the side, that would really encourage me. God Bless!
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