Sharkkara upperi (Banana chips coated with jaggery n spices)

Back home, my father gets this only for onam and vishu and I would be first one to finish it… Always served with sadhya. And whenever we go for a marriage lunch, I loot these from my mom’s plate (ela – banana leaf in which the sadhya is served.)

Ingredients:

Raw Banana                 --   2 big
Jaggery syrup             --   ¾ cup(Might need around 7 -8 blocks)
Dry ginger powder    --   ½ tsp
Cumin powder             --   ½ tsp
Sugar                               --   3 tsp
Rice                                  --   5 tbsp
Cardamom powder  --   made from 3
Oil                                     --   To deep fry

Preparation of chips:

Peel the banana and cut it into half – length wise. Now cut them into ¼ inch thick pieces.  Transfer them into a bowl of  water to soak them as and when you cut it.  Apply oil on your hands / wear a gloves while cutting the banana to avoid stains. Once you are ready to fry, drain the water completely.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. The oil should be really hot before you fry. Test by dropping in a piece of banana. It should sizzle and come up. Reduce the flame to medium and add the first batch. Make sure that it is not overcrowded.Fry until golden brown.

Drain it into a colander kept on plate to collect the excess oil. Transfer this onto a paper towel and let it cool.

Dry roast the rice until it pops. Let it cool and then grind it into a fine powder along with sugar.

Meanwhile prepare the jaggery syrup by adding quarter cup of water to the jaggery. When the jaggery is completely melted, strain into another vessel to remove any impurities. Now boil the syrup by adding the ginger powder, cumin powder and powdered cardamom. Let it reach a sticky consistency. Switch of the flame and add the fried banana into it. Stir well so that the jaggery is coated on all the pieces.

Now add the rice & sugar powder and mix well until the chips are coated. This helps to the chips not to stick on each other.

Let it cool. Store in an air tight container. This stays good for almost a month.