Chinese Dessert of Bananas Fried in Batter with Sesame Recipe
A simple yet impressive dessert: pieces of banana in a light batter, fried until golden and sprinkled with sesame seeds. In many Chinese restaurants, similar desserts are served at the end of the meal – crisp on the outside, soft and sweet inside. A bit like small Polish apple fritters, but in a banana-and-sesame version.
Similar fruit-in-batter desserts appear in many Chinese restaurants, sometimes additionally coated in caramel. Street versions are simpler: a thin batter, sesame seeds and quick deep-frying.
This dessert combines the comforting taste of bananas with a light, bubbly batter and nutty sesame seeds, giving you a restaurant-style Chinese sweet that’s easy to make at home with basic ingredients.
Why this version works
- Sparkling water and baking powder aerate the batter, so the coating stays light and crisp.
- The addition of starch makes the shell set faster and stay crunchy for longer.
- Thicker, diagonal pieces of banana keep a creamy centre and don’t fall apart in the oil.
- Coating the pieces in sesame before frying intensifies the nutty aroma and adds texture.
Chef's tips
Use well-chilled sparkling water for an extra-light, airy batter. Don’t overcrowd the pan, or the oil temperature will drop and the batter will soak up more fat instead of turning crisp.
How to serve
Serve on a warm plate, drizzle with honey or maple syrup and add a scoop of vanilla or coconut ice cream. For a lighter option, pair with thick natural yogurt and a few fresh fruit slices.
Watch out for
- Don’t use very overripe bananas with lots of dark spots – they’ll fall apart when you coat them.
- If the pieces don’t sizzle as soon as they hit the oil, the oil is too cool and the batter will soak up fat.
- Batter that’s too thick creates a heavy, floury crust – thin it with a spoonful of water so it’s just a little thicker than pancake batter.
Substitutions
- You can replace the honey with maple syrup or agave syrup.
- You can swap part of the white sesame for black sesame for a stronger aroma and more contrast.
Ingredients
- ripe but firm bananas medium - 3 piece
- flour - 80 g
- potato or corn starch about 2 tablespoons - 20 g
- baking powder - 0.5 teaspoon
- sparkling or still water cold - 100 ml
- white sesame seeds - 2 tablespoon
- sugar for the batter - 2 tablespoon
- salt - 1 pinch
- oil for deep-frying - 400 ml
- honey or maple syrup for drizzling, optional
Preparation
- In a bowl, mix the flour, starch, baking powder, sugar and salt until everything is evenly combined and no clumps of powder remain. Use a whisk to lightly aerate the mixture.
- Gradually pour in very cold water (ideally straight from the fridge), whisking until you get a smooth, slightly pourable batter. It should fall off a spoon in a thick ribbon and leave a thin, even coating on its surface.
- Peel the bananas and slice them on the diagonal into pieces 3–4 cm long. Slices that are too thin will fall apart easily; if the bananas are very soft, chill them in the fridge for 10 minutes so they firm up slightly and hold their shape better.
- Heat the oil in a deep frying pan or pot to 170–180°C. When you drop in a little batter, it should immediately float to the surface, sizzle vigorously and slowly turn golden, without browning in just a few seconds.
- Tip the sesame seeds onto a small plate. Dip each piece of banana in the batter, letting the excess drip back into the bowl (no thick drips), then gently roll it in the sesame seeds, pressing them on lightly with your fingers.
- Carefully lower the bananas into the hot oil 5–6 pieces at a time so you don’t drop the temperature too much and so the pieces don’t stick together. Fry for 2–3 minutes, gently turning, until the batter is evenly golden, opaque and clearly crisp.
- Lift the fried bananas out with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with paper towel. If the paper soaks through quickly, replace it so the dessert stays lighter and less greasy and the coating doesn’t soften from underneath.
- Repeat the frying with the remaining banana pieces, making sure the oil stays at a steady temperature – if it starts smoking heavily or the sesame darkens in a few seconds, reduce the heat.
- Serve immediately, while still hot and crisp, drizzled with a thin stream of honey or maple syrup. For a more impressive version, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream so it starts to melt gently against the hot batter.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
I like to fry the bananas in small batches so they stay really crisp and to serve them straight from the pan to the table. A sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds on top just before serving adds even more aroma.
