Sarkara Varatti Recipe Jaggery Banana Chips

SARKARA VARATTI RECIPE (JAGGERY BANANA CHIPS)

Steps:

• In a big bowl, mix together the water and salt. Keep aside.
• Cut the top and bottom tips of the plantains.
• Score the banana skin from top to bottom, along the ridges.
• Peel the outer skin of the bananas. Make sure to remove the green part fully.
• Immerse the peeled bananas in the salt water for 10-20 minutes.
• Scrub bananas well in salt water and rinse 2-3 times in clear water to remove sap.
• Drain and keep aside for another 10-20 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a deep, wide frying pan on medium heat.
• Pat the drained banana with a tissue paper to dry it, if needed.
• Cut the banana vertically (along the length) into half. Cut the halved banana into ¼" thick semi-round pieces.
• Reduce the heat and slide the sliced bananas into hot oil. Make sure that the pan is not over crowded. Stir gently to avoid slices sticking together.
• Cook in high flame for 2-3 minutes, after that, reduces the flame to medium high.
• Stir occasionally and flip the chips for even cooking. Fry for 10-15 minutes, until chips turns crisp and cooked well.
• Remove the fried banana chips with slotted spoon and then drain on paper towels.
• Follow the same procedure to cook the remaining batches.
• Heat grated jaggery with ¼ cup of water. Strain jiggery syrup to remove impurities, if any.
• Grind together sugar and cardamom and make powder. Grinding both together is a quick way to get powdered cardamom.
• Roast rice powder till it turns light golden colour. Once roasted, add ginger powder and cumin powder and roast together for a minute and turn off.
• Heat a big heavy bottomed, wide pan. Cook the jaggery mixture over medium low flame until it becomes thick and with single thread consistency. To check this, put one drop of the boiling jaggery in cold water. If it reached right consistency, it won't dissolve and instead it should form like a drop.
• Reduce the heat to low and add the fried banana pieces and mix well and stir continuously.
• Add the powdered cardamom and sugar, mix well. This gives a good appearance to the sarkara upperi and the slices do not stick to one another.
• Switch off the stove, add the mix of roasted rice powder, ginger powder and cumin powder.
• Stir continuously, so that all the slices are evenly coated with the jaggery mixture and separated.
• Once the chips cool completely, store it in an airtight container.