Raw banana fry (vazhakkai fry)

Raw banana fry is one of the best-loved side dishes in South Indian homes. Slices of green banana are coated in chilli, turmeric and sambar powder, then pan-roasted in a little oil with mustard seeds and curry leaves until the edges go crisp and golden. In Tamil it's vazhakkai fry or vazhakkai varuval, in Kannada balekai fry and in Telugu aratikaya fry. It's the same simple idea everywhere.

The outside turns spicy and crunchy while the inside stays soft, a bit like a well-roasted potato. It uses only a couple of tablespoons of oil, so it's much lighter than deep-fried chips. Below the recipe you'll find an air fryer method, a quick parboil trick for softer centres, tips for getting it crisp, variations and how to store it.

What is vazhakkai fry?

Vazhakkai is the Tamil word for raw banana, the green cooking variety picked before it ripens. "Fry" here doesn't mean deep-fried. It means a dry, pan-roasted side dish, close to what's called a poriyal or varuval in Tamil Nadu. The banana is cooked in a wide pan with very little oil, first covered so it softens, then uncovered so the spice coating roasts and crisps. It's often served at lunch with rice, sambar, rasam or curd rice.

How to pick and slice raw bananas for a fry

Choose raw bananas that are completely green, firm and smooth, with no yellow patches. Riper bananas turn sweet and soft and won't crisp up. Slightly fat, straight bananas are easiest to slice evenly.

1. Oil your hands or wear gloves, as the sap stains. Cut off both ends and peel off the green skin with a peeler or knife.
2. Slice into rounds about 5 mm (1/4 inch) thick. Thinner slices crisp faster but can burn; thicker ones stay soft in the middle. You can also cut long batons or half-moons.
3. Drop the slices into water straight away to stop them turning brown. Drain and pat dry with a clean tea towel just before coating, since wet slices steam instead of roasting.

Ingredient notes and swaps

• Sambar powder: gives the classic South Indian flavour. No sambar powder? Use 1 tsp ground coriander, 1/4 tsp ground cumin and an extra pinch of chilli.
• Kashmiri chilli powder: adds a deep red colour without too much heat. Use half the amount of a hot chilli powder if that's what you have.
• Rice flour: optional, but 1 tablespoon helps the spices stick and gives a crisper coating. Gram flour (besan) works too.
• Oil: coconut oil or gingelly (sesame) oil are traditional and taste great here. Any neutral oil is fine.
• Urad dal: adds a little nutty crunch to the tempering. Leave it out if you don't have any.
• Ginger garlic paste: not traditional in every home, but 1/2 tsp in the spice mix gives a more "Chettinad" style flavour.

Raw banana fry (vazhakkai fry)

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Spicy, crisp-edged slices of green banana pan-roasted with curry leaves. A classic side for rice and sambar.

Prep

10 min

Cook

20 min

Total

30 min

Serves

3

Ingredients

For the bananas

• 3 medium raw (green) bananas, about 450 g (1 lb) whole or 360 g peeled
• A pinch of turmeric and salt for the soaking water

Spice coating

• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (or 1/2 tsp hot chilli powder)
• 1 1/2 tsp sambar powder
• 1/4 tsp crushed black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• 1 tbsp rice flour (optional, for extra crunch)
• 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste (optional)

For the tempering

• 2 tbsp coconut, sesame or neutral oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp urad dal (optional)
• 1 dried red chilli, broken in half
• 1 sprig curry leaves (10 to 12 leaves)

Air fryer version

• Use 1 tbsp oil in total: about 2 tsp to toss with the slices and 1 tsp for the tempering

Method

1. Peel the raw bananas and cut them into rounds about 5 mm (1/4 inch) thick. Drop them into a bowl of water with a pinch of turmeric and salt as you slice.
2. Drain the slices and pat them dry with a clean tea towel. Put them in a mixing bowl and add the turmeric, chilli powder, sambar powder, pepper, salt, hing, rice flour and ginger garlic paste if using. Toss with your hands until every slice is coated. If the spices won't stick, sprinkle over 1 to 2 tsp water.
3. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pan (cast iron or non-stick is ideal) over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and let them pop. Add the urad dal and dried chilli and fry until the dal turns light golden, then add the curry leaves. They will splutter, so stand back.
4. Turn the heat to low. Spread the banana slices in a single layer, pushing the curry leaves to the side so they don't burn. Use two batches if your pan is small.
5. Cover and cook on low to medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes. This steams the banana so it softens inside. Lift the lid once or twice to check the bottoms aren't catching.
6. Flip each slice. Cook uncovered for another 6 to 10 minutes, turning now and then, until both sides are golden brown with crisp edges and a knife slides easily through the middle. Drizzle in a little more oil around the edges if the pan looks dry.
7. Taste and add a pinch more salt if needed. Serve hot with rice and sambar, rasam or dal.

Air fryer: toss the dried slices with the spice mix and 2 tsp oil. Air fry in a single layer at 180°C (360°F) for 15 to 18 minutes, shaking or flipping halfway, until golden. Check from 12 minutes, as air fryers vary. Fry the mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves in 1 tsp oil in a small pan and toss them through at the end. Softer centres: boil the slices in salted water for 2 to 3 minutes until just tender but not soft, drain well, then coat and pan-fry for about 10 minutes in total.

Approx. per serving (1 of 3): about 205 calories with 2 tbsp oil in the pan, or about 165 calories made in the air fryer with 1 tbsp oil. Worked out from USDA values.

Recipe from turmaslim.com/recipes/raw-banana-fry.html

Tips for a crispy raw banana fry

• Dry the slices well. Water on the surface turns the spice coating into a paste that steams rather than crisps.
• Don't crowd the pan. One layer, with a little space, is what gives you golden edges. A crowded pan makes soft, pale slices.
• Use low to medium heat. The spices burn before the banana cooks through if the heat is too high. Patience is the trick with this one.
• Cover first, uncover later. The lid softens the inside; the open pan crisps the outside. Skip the lid and the centres can stay hard.
• Add rice flour for crunch. Just a tablespoon makes a noticeable difference to the coating.
• Serve it straight away. Raw banana fry loses its crunch as it sits, so cook it last if you're making a full meal.

Pan-fried vs air fryer vs parboiled

Times are for 5 mm slices. Thicker slices need a few minutes more.

Raw banana fry variations

• Coconut masala: add 2 tbsp grated coconut and 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, ground to a rough paste, to the spice mix for a Kerala-style finish.
• Chettinad style: use the ginger garlic paste, add 1/2 tsp garam masala and an extra 1/2 tsp black pepper.
• Besan coating: swap the rice flour for 2 tbsp gram flour and a splash of water to make a thin batter. It gives a thicker, pakora-like crust.
• Cubes instead of slices: cut the banana into small cubes for a poriyal that's easier to mix through rice. Cook it covered a little longer.
• Milder for kids: drop the chilli powder to 1/4 tsp and leave out the pepper. The sambar powder still gives plenty of flavour.

What to serve with vazhakkai fry

• Steamed rice with sambar, rasam or a simple turmeric dal
• Curd rice, where the spicy, crisp slices are a perfect match for the cool rice
• Turmeric rice and a bowl of plain yoghurt
• As a snack on its own with a squeeze of lime, or tucked into a dosa or chapati roll
• With a North Indian meal next to roti and our raw banana sabzi if you want to try both styles

Is raw banana fry healthy?

It's a fairly light side dish as fries go. A serving is about 205 calories when pan-roasted with 2 tablespoons of oil, and less in the air fryer. Compare that with deep-fried banana chips, which soak up much more oil. Raw banana is filling and has less sugar than ripe banana, because most of its carbohydrate is still starch.

Green bananas are also rich in resistant starch (RS2), which isn't digested in the small intestine and acts a bit like fibre in the gut. Be realistic about it, though. Frying and roasting break down much of that RS2. Cooling cooked banana lets some starch form a different kind, RS3, but this dish is best eaten hot, so don't count on it as a big source of resistant starch. Enjoy it for what it is: a tasty, starchy vegetable side. For more on the science, read our guide to green banana benefits.

Storage and reheating

Raw banana fry is at its best fresh. Leftovers keep in a covered container in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. They go soft, but you can bring back some crunch by reheating them in a dry pan over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, or in the air fryer at 180°C (360°F) for 3 to 4 minutes. The microwave will warm them but leave them soft. Freezing isn't a good idea, as the texture turns spongy. You can peel and slice the bananas a few hours ahead and keep them covered in water in the fridge until you're ready to cook.

Questions about this recipe

Why is my raw banana fry not crispy?

The usual reasons are wet slices, a crowded pan or too much time under the lid. Pat the slices dry, cook them in a single layer, and finish uncovered on medium heat. A tablespoon of rice flour in the coating helps a lot.

Should I boil raw banana before frying?

You don't have to. Cooking covered on low heat softens the slices without boiling. Parboiling for 2 to 3 minutes is handy if you like very soft centres or want to cut the time in the pan, but don't overdo it or the slices will break.

Can I make vazhakkai fry in an air fryer?

Yes. Toss the coated slices with about 2 tsp oil and air fry at 180°C (360°F) for 15 to 18 minutes, flipping halfway. Make the mustard seed and curry leaf tempering separately in a small pan and mix it in at the end.

How thick should I slice raw banana for fry?

About 5 mm (1/4 inch) works best. Thinner slices crisp faster but burn easily and can turn chip-like; much thicker ones stay hard or starchy in the middle.

Can I use sweet bananas that are still green?

Firm, fully green dessert bananas can work, but they're softer and cook faster. Cut slightly thicker slices and keep a close eye on them. Cooking bananas (green plantains or vazhakkai) give the best texture.

Is raw banana fry good for diabetes?

Raw banana has less sugar than ripe banana, but it's still a starchy food, and frying reduces its resistant starch. Keep the portion to about one banana, eat it with dal, vegetables or curd, and check with your doctor or dietitian if you're managing blood sugar.

General information only, not medical advice.