Caribbean cinnamon banana fritters with chocolate sauce dip

Childhood memories of my mum’s kitchen come flooding back when I make these fritters. She used to make these banana treats with us kids hanging around in the kitchen, happily licking the cinnamon sugar from our fingers, waiting until the next batch was ready to eat!

Credit: Ebury Press / Dan Jones

• makes

  14

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

I’ve used a combination of plain and wholemeal flour in these vegan-friendly fritters, because I like the nuttiness, but use just plain if you prefer. I love serving them with my quick and easy chocolate sauce – it’s like a Caribbean version of churros!

Ingredients

• 4 large, very ripe bananas
• 100 g plain flour
• 50 g wholemeal flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp desiccated coconut
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp brown sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• oil, for deep-frying

Chocolate sauce

• 75 g dark chocolate, chopped
• 10 g butter or plant-based butter
• 125 ml double cream or plant-based cream
• a pinch of ground cinnamon
• 1½ tsp golden syrup

To coat

• ¼ cup caster sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Put the bananas in a food processor and blitz to a smooth purée (or mash well with a fork). Scoop out into a bowl. Add the flours, baking powder and coconut and stir in the sugar and salt. Mix well until you have a creamy, thick batter, adding a little warm water if needed. Stir in the nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Cover and allow to rest for 15 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile make the chocolate sauce. Place all the ingredients in a small saucepan over a low-medium heat, stirring constantly until everything has melted together and formed a smooth, silky sauce. Remove from the heat.
3. Mix the caster sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl.
4. Heat enough oil for deep-frying in a deep-fryer or deep, heavy-based saucepan, making sure it comes no more than two-thirds of the way up the saucepan, to 160°C. If you don’t have a thermometer, check the temperature by dropping in a little batter – it should immediately sizzle and bubble gently. Use a tablespoon to drop spoonfuls of the batter into the oil and fry in batches of 4 or 5 (don’t overcrowd the pan). Cook for 1–2 minutes then turn over and cook for another 1–2 minutes or until golden brown. If they brown too quickly, reduce the heat.
5. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper while you cook the rest.
6. Roll each fritter in the sugar and cinnamon mixture until lightly covered and serve warm with the chocolate sauce for dipping or drizzling.

 

Extracted from Ainsley's Good Mood Food by Ainsley Harriott (Ebury Press, hb $43.99). Photography by Dan Jones. Image of Ainsley Harriott with fritters from the television show of the same name. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

I’ve used a combination of plain and wholemeal flour in these vegan-friendly fritters, because I like the nuttiness, but use just plain if you prefer. I love serving them with my quick and easy chocolate sauce – it’s like a Caribbean version of churros!