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China Dessert Banana Fritters Delicious deep-fried banana fritters napped in a sweet, syrupy sauce.
Syrup 3 bananas (peeled) Batter: in a small bowl, make a smooth batter by mixing first 5 ingredients. Set aside. Deep Fry: in a saucepan or wok, heat oil over high heat to 350; reduce heat to medium. Slice each peeled banana into 5 or 6 pieces; dip into batter, then immediately into hot oil. Fry 30 seconds (in batches if necessary) till lightly browned, remove, and drain on paper towels. Syrup: make syrup by heating 2 T oil in small saucepan for 1 minute. Mix in sugar and stir till thickened. Remove from heat and add fried bananas, coating well with syrup. Turn out onto a lightly greased platter and serve. |
Tips & Glossary Many ingredients used in Chinese cooking probably aren’t in your spice shelf, but you can find them at Asian grocery stores. To avoid frustration, make a list of the items before trying recipes. Agar Agar: dried seaweed used as a gelatin. Buy it in sticks (or strips) and soak in cold water to soften. Chili Oil: buy it or make your own. For a recipe, see Hunan Chicken. Chinese Cabbage: aka “Nappa”;long, white stalks with light green crinkly leaves. Deep Frying: use a deep-fry thermometer to reach the recipe's correct temperature; if the oil isn't hot enough, the food will be soggy. When cool, the oil can be strained, refrigerated, and re-used. Dried Shrimp: tiny, salted, sun-dried shrimp that add a pungent flavor to Asian cooking. Soak before using. Five-Spice Powder: blend of star anise, cinamon, cloves, fennel and Szechuan peppercorns. Like allspice. Peppersalt: buy or make your own. Heat 2 T Szechuan peppercorns in skillet 5 min. Grind into powder and mix with 2 T salt. Sauces: Hoisin (sweet, from soybeans); Oyster (like soy, from oysters); Sweet Bean (canned, salty, from soybeans); Hot Bean (hot & salty, from soybeans and peppers). Sesame Paste: from gound sesame seeds; substitute with peanut butter. Sweet Rice Powder: from glutinous rice; used in place of flour in many desserts. Szechuan peppercorns: dried reddish berries, fragrant and mildly hot.
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