Pisang Goreng Cheese for FRY-day

“Pisang Goreng” means fried bananas and it’s a popular street snacks among the Chinese and Malay community in South East Asia, especially Malaysia and Indonesia. It’s banana, coated and deep-fried till golden brown; crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. It’s usually a tea time snacks available after lunch till late noon, about 4pm.

There seem to be an improved, or rather upgraded version of a regular cripsy pisang goreng; with shredded cheese on top. What the cheese does is it gives it a savoury, salty taste to balance off the creaminess and sweetness of the banana.

Sweet ripe bananas are covered in a batter then deep-fried till golden brown. Cooking the bananas deepen their natural flavor, making them even sweeter and more flavorful. Crispy on the outside but sweet and creamy inside. That’s Pisang Goreng.

If cheese is not your liking, you can have the Pisang Goreng by itself, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream will sweetened the deal.

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE PISANG GORENG CHEESE.

• Bananas. You can use any type of bananas as long as they are ripe but not too ripe, slightly firm and sweet. Over-ripe bananas may end up being too mushy after frying. I’m using the smaller Pisang Emas (Lady Finger bananas). If you can’t find them you can use regular Cavendish bananas (Pisang Berangan).
• Batter. It’s a batter made from rice flour, wheat flour, custard powder, salt, baking powder, margarine and ice water. Rice flour is essential in making the batter crispy and light. While the rest are possible to replace with whatever that you have in your pantry. The batter will be slightly runnier than a pancake batter as it’s meant to coat thinly.
• Cheddar Cheese. For the cheese topping, I’m using a regular Kraft Cheddar Cheese in a block. I would call it processed cheese and not 100% real cheese but it gives that creamy texture once it’s grated. And because Pisang Goreng Cheese is really, just a street snack that is made affordable to be purchased by everyone, a cheaper cheese option is usually preferred.

STEPS TO MAKE PISANG GORENG CHEESE

• Mix batter by mixing rice flour, plain flour, custard powder, salt, baking powder and softened margarine or butter. I used Planta
• Slowly drizzle in icy cold water and use a whisk to whisk. If the batter is too stiff, you can add a tablespoon of water at a time and mix it to the right consistency. It is best not to leave the batter too long as the baking powder will loose it’s purpose. It is best to make when you want to use it.
• Peel banana skin. Cut banana in half lengthwise. If using a thick banana, you can slice to 3 parts but I find half is just right.
• Heat cooking oil in a pot or wok in medium heat. When it’s hot, drizzle a bit of the batter to test. If it sinks, the oil is not hot enough. If it starts to bubble, it means it is ready.
• Dip banana into the batter then gently drop into the pot of oil. Fry in batches and do not overcrowd the bananas. It may stick together.
• If you want to have more friend crispy bits, you may lightly drizzle in the batter
• As soon as they are ready or turn golden brown, remove using a sieve and place it over a wire rack to let excess oil drain.
• Place them on a plate in a single layer. Grate cheddar cheese over the top. Enjoy while it’s hot.

Did you try this dish?

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