In Trinidad and Tobago, banana puries would be the sweetened relative of fry bake or floats. The original banana puri recipe which hails from India is made without baking powder, cinnamon and vinegar. As the dough is gluten free, the baking powder and vinegar helps the puris to puff up. The cinnamon simply reminds me of banana bread.
Banana puries are the kind of just enough sweet treat you can pair with almost anything and have at any time of the day. Best of all the puries are kid approved! Especially for my Trini friends, if you're up to a culinary adventure give these puries a try.
Ingredients
1 cup gluten free flour*
1½ tsp baking powder
1/3 cup ripe mashed banana (about 1 medium banana)
1 tbsp brown sugar
pinch of cardamom powder (elychee)
pinch of cinnamon (optional)
½ tbsp vegetable oil**
¼ cup coconut milk
1 tsp vinegar***
2 tbsp ground almonds
Enough oil for deep frying
Tapioca starch or other flour to dust work surface
*I used Bob's Red Mill Homemade Wonderful Bread Mix
**I used coconut oil
***Best used if you cannot rest the dough
Directions
Combine the flour and baking powder. Set aside
Peel and mash the banana. Mix in the sugar, the spices, oil, coconut milk, vinegar if using and almonds
Add the flour to the banana mixture and combine to form a soft but workable dough. The dough should be sticky to the touch, if is is not add water a little at a time
Divide the dough into palm sized portions and roll into smooth balls, the balls should still be fairly moist. You can work on a flour dusted surface to shape the dough. Wet or oiled hands will help
Cover and set the dough rounds aside for 30 – 60 minutes, more if you can. You can skip the rest and continue with the recipe. The stickier the dough, the better if you decide to skip the rest
Heat the oil for deep frying
When the oil is ready, flatten each ball into a palm sized disc either in your hand or on the floured work surface. Place the puri gently in the oil, fry until puffed and deep brown on each side
Drain on paper towels. Puries are best served warm but can be kept wrapped in a tea towel and served later in the day