Pan Fried Bananas (Kele Phodi)

Beautifully cooked raw bananas that are crispy on the outside & soft & delicious on the inside. These pan fried bananas are spicy & can be served as a starter for lunch, dinner or served as a side dish along with a bowl of steaming hot rice & dalithoy.

They are called kele phodi in Konkani. Kele means banana in Konkani & phodi refers to preparation where veggies are pan fried or deep fried.

No Konkani meal is complete without phodis. I pan fry one type of veggie almost every day. My meal isn't complete without them

Ingredients:

• 1 raw banana
• 1/2 cup semolina (rava or chiroti rava)
• 1 tablespoon or more red chili powder (depending on how spicy it is) (use a spicy red chili powder)
• Salt to taste
• A pinch of asafoetida powder (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder (optional)
• Oil for shallow frying

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Serves: 2-3

Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes

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Preparation Method:

1. Mix semolina, salt, red chilli powder in a bowl. 

2. If you are using asafoetida powder & coriander powder for added taste. Mix them along.

3. Peel raw banana, slice them horizontally or vertically. The thickness of the slices is your choice.

The thinner the slices the faster they cook but get too crispy too. Thicker slices take a little extra time to cook & aren't a pleasure to eat. Not too thick, not too thin banana slices are perfect to eat. They get crispy on the outside, remain soft on the inside. 

4. Add salt to these slices in a bowl. Toss them so that each slice of banana takes in some salt. Let them rest for 3-5 minutes. 

5. Meanwhile, heat up a frying pan. 

6. Once, the pan's hot, coat the banana slices one by one with the semolina mixture & place them on the hot pan. 

7. Drizzle oil all over the banana slices.

Oil should just coat every inch of the banana slice on both sides. That ensures they cook beautifully. The more oil you add, delicious your bananas will taste.

8. Cook closed on high heat for 2 minutes. Then put off the flame & let them stay for 2 more minutes.

Drizzle oil if needed on this side.

9. Flip the banana slices & cook them again on that side for 2 minutes on high heat. Put off the flame & let them stay for 2 more minutes. 

10. Remove them off the pan immediately. This ensures they are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside.

11. Serve them hot as a starter or as a side for lunch, dinner.