Nan comes to the rescue again with these Caribbean-style banana coconut fritters: you could almost be on the beach
“Nan, how do you make these?” For any Caribbean delicacy, I’ll call the SuperNan hotline for guidance. This time, it’s her banana fritters. I just adore their crisp exterior and super-soft, pillowy centre. The ginger caramel elevates them to pure decadence.
Nan’s hotline fritters
Prep 10 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 4-6
For the fritters
4 large ripe bananas
4 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp fresh nutmeg
½ tsp salt
40g desiccated coconut
230g plain flour
Vegetable or sunflower oil, for frying
Icing sugar, to finish
For the ginger caramel
230g caster sugar
85g unsalted butter
130ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 tsp ground ginger
Start with the caramel. Put 65ml water into a saucepan, then slowly whisk in the caster sugar, a little at a time. Put the saucepan over a medium heat until the sugar has turned a deep amber.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the butter and return the pan to the heat, stirring until it is completely melted and combined.
Again, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the double cream, vanilla and ground ginger, and mix again.
For the fritters, mash the bananas using a fork. Add the brown sugar, vanilla, the spices, salt and desiccated coconut. Finally, sift over the flour, using a spoon to stir until fully combined.
To a frying pan, add enough oil to fill it by a third, and heat over a medium-high flame. Once hot, drop the fritter batter into the oil, spoonful by spoonful. Once one side is golden brown and a few bubbles seem to appear on top, flip the fritter until the other side is brown as well.
Remove the fritters from the pan and transfer to a plate lined with kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil. Finish with a light dusting of icing sugar and caramel before serving.
www.theguardian.com
