Plantain Chips

It has been a long time since I made some fresh fried snacks at home to munch on. Snehanshu loves them and has been asking me for something crisp to snack on. All Indian kitchens are stocked with some delicious homemade snack to go with a cup of afternoon tea or coffee, where the family would sit together and chit chat over some munchies.

Lifestyle changes, we no longer drink tea or coffee in the afternoon, but yet the taste of childhood favorite munchies linger on our taste buds. Chakli, gathiya, chivda, and so many more. I cannot even count them on my fingers, were all made fresh at home. We have never seen mummy shop for them. Fresh snacks with the best quality ingredients used, and customized to suit family needs, was surely the motto of every Indian mom.

One of our favorite snacks was plantain chips. I am sure, as mummy reads this post today, she will have a smile on her face. Lays advertise their chips as 'No one can eat just one'... I say, no one can eat this just one!! When mummy would buy a dozen plantain and place them on the kitchen counter, the excitement would begin. Yes indeed, excitement of fresh, crisp, delicious chips. As soon as mummy would fry a batch of chips using half of the plantain, it would be gone while still resting to cool on in the strainer. Oh yes, mummy would almost yell at us, "let me at least offer this to God before you grab it." :) Anything cooked fresh was first offered to God! Like they say, history repeats itself! This time when I was frying these, I had to yell and stop Snehanshu from getting a hand full of those with every batch I fried. Believe me, these fresh homemade snacks are addictive!!

With summer break in school, there is a need for more snacks stocked up in the kitchen. I am sure your kids would love to munch on these, as soon as they return from their game or summer camp.

Select firm, green plantains or bananas.

The long ones and raw bananas and short and thick are raw plantains.

Plantains will make yellow chips.

Raw plantain

Raw Banana

Peel off the skin.

This one is my favorite slicer. Anjali brand from India! It is sleek and light weight. Perfect for the job.

Since you will need to slice plantain over hot oil, you do need to balance the slicer.

With minimum contact of sliced plantains with air, slice them over hot oil. Be careful to not place your hand over the hot oil. The hand holding the slicer should be out of the circumference of the frying pan. Keep your hand stable and slice plantains in one direction. They will start to fry. Just add enough, and do not overcrowd the pan. This would also reduce the oil temperature.

Sprinkle some salt while plantain chips fry.

Strain when they are golden brown.

This is the time to flavor them while they are still warm.

Chilli powder/paprika, garlic powder, pepper powder. cheese powder, gram masala powder.

Create your flavor!

My family likes it just original, salted.

Yellow chips are Kerala style plantain chips fried in coconut oil.

Remaining chips, after we ate half of it fresh while it was cooling :)

Snehanshu could not wait while I was clicking pictures.

Serve with tea or as is.

A great picnic or a movie snack!!