The Hanoitimes - Although the ingredients to make this addicting dish sound fairly simple: ripe bananas, sugar, flour, turmeric powder, making banh chuoi requires the exceptional skills of a master artisan. For a lot of Hanoians, banh chuoi (deep-fried banana) is the nostalgic food of childhood. Many of us would savor these crispy, slightly sweet snacks on the sidewalks as an after-school snack, or as a treat to send away the cold. Street food stalls selling deep-fried bananas are ubiquitous in Hanoi. You can find them pretty much anywhere, but do keep in mind that they are open only in the afternoon. It makes a lot of sense actually, since rarely anyone wants something heavy and greasy in the morning. A set of deep-fried bananas, along with sweet potato pancakes and corn pancakes. Photo: Thuy An. Although the ingredients to make this addicting dish sound fairly simple: ripe bananas, sugar, flour, turmeric powder, making banh chuoi requires the exceptional skills of a master artisan. It’s not easy to achieve the golden ratio of the batter to produce a crunchy, delightful texture. And it’s equally tough to master the art of deep frying. After trying various food stalls, let me introduce you to one of the hidden gems of Hanoi. Settled in Van Chuong street, this food stall has a simple set-up. You’ll find two large pans full of scorching hot oil, a giant bowl of batter mixture, and some racks that serve to cool down the pancakes and to display them at the same time. While there are spaces for you to sit and savor the hot, fragrant pancakes right away, bánh chuối is often a take-away item. So, you won’t find a lot of people who actually stay and eat. The owner skillfully cooks three different types of pancakes at the same time. Photo: Thuy An. The key ingredient is obviously the banana. Not all kinds work, actually. The owner uses ladyfinger bananas ( chuoi Su ), a variety of short and small bananas …
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