Pisang goreng

Name: Pisang goreng
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 people
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients: 8 piece Banana, small firm cooking bananas, or 5 just-ripe eating bananas, or 3 yellow plantains; 100 g Rice flour; 50 g Wheat flour; 1 tbsp Sugar; 0.5 tsp Salt; 0.25 tsp Turmeric, ground, for colour; 0.5 tsp Baking powder; 200 ml Water, cold; 750 ml Neutral oil, for deep frying

Indonesian banana fritters: ripe bananas in a thin rice-flour batter, fried until shattering and eaten hot.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.

Start cooking

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 15 min
Rest: None
Total: 25 min
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: No chilli
Cost: Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

About

Pisang goreng is a banana dipped in batter and deep-fried. That is all, and it depends on the banana. Indonesia uses small, firm cooking bananas such as pisang raja or pisang kepok, which hold their shape and go custardy inside. Outside the region, a just-ripe eating banana or a yellow-ripe plantain is the honest substitute. The batter is thin, mostly rice flour with a little wheat flour for cling, a pinch of salt and turmeric for colour. It fries to a crisp, lacy shell. Eat them within minutes, plain, with a shake of sugar or with grated cheese and condensed milk the way Jakarta does.

What you'll need

9 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 9 ready

4 servings

Ingredients

Servings

Banana, small firm cooking bananas, or 5 just-ripe eating bananas, or 3 yellow plantains8
Rice flour100 g
Wheat flour50 g
Sugar15 ml
Salt2½ ml
Turmeric, ground, for colour (optional)1.2 ml
Baking powder2½ ml
Water, cold200 ml
Neutral oil, for deep frying750 ml

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Whisk rice flour, flour, sugar, salt, turmeric and baking powder with the cold water to a batter the thickness of single cream. Rest it 10 minutes.
3 min
Step 2
Peel the bananas. Leave small ones whole; halve large ones lengthways, or split them fan-style with three cuts from the tip, leaving the base attached.
5 min
Step 3
Heat the oil in a wok to 175°C. A drop of batter should sizzle and rise at once.
5 min175°C
Step 4
Dip each banana in batter, let the excess run off, and lower into the oil. Fry 3 or 4 at a time, turning once, until deep gold and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes.
10 min
Watch: Hot oil spits when wet batter hits it. Lower pieces away from you.
Step 5
Drain on a rack or paper with a spider. Eat hot, plain or with a dusting of sugar.
1 min

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 406 kcal
Protein: 4.4 g
Carbs: 66.1 g
Fat: 15.9 g
Saturated fat: 1.8 g
Fibre: 5.7 g
Sugar: 27.2 g
Sodium: 394 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Wheat

Vegan
Vegetarian
Dairy-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.

Substitutions

Rice flour → All wheat flour
Softer, breadier coating. Add a tablespoon of cornflour to help it crisp.

Tips

Drizzle a few extra drops of batter over each fritter while it fries for the lacy, spiky crust street stalls have.
Overripe bananas go to mush in the oil. Firm and barely ripe is right.
Jakarta style: grated cheddar and a line of condensed milk over the top while hot.

History & culture

Afternoon food. Pisang goreng is sold from roadside stalls alongside fried tempeh and tofu under the name gorengan, and it goes with coffee or sweet tea around four o'clock. It appears at family gatherings and in school canteens. Every province has a variation: coated in sesame, in panko-like crumbs, split and stuffed, or drenched in palm sugar syrup.

Bananas are native to the archipelago, and frying them in batter likely came with Portuguese contact in the sixteenth century, when fritter techniques spread through Southeast Asia. The dish is shared with Malaysia and Singapore, where it is called the same thing. Cheese and condensed milk toppings are a twentieth-century addition.

Traditional — Indonesian cooking bananas are the real thing. Firm eating bananas or ripe plantain are the available substitute and behave slightly differently.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Pisang goreng take?

25 min all in — 10 min prep, 15 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 4 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Easy.

How spicy is it?

No chilli.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Wheat. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy-free.

8 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Wok, Mixing bowl, Spider or strainer.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at ½ tsp.

How much sugar?

1 tbsp of Sugar.

What can I use instead?

Rice flour → All wheat flour. Softer, breadier coating. Add a tablespoon of cornflour to help it crisp.

What should I watch for?

Hot oil spits when wet batter hits it. Lower pieces away from you.

Any tips from this recipe?

Drizzle a few extra drops of batter over each fritter while it fries for the lacy, spiky crust street stalls have. Overripe bananas go to mush in the oil. Firm and barely ripe is right. Jakarta style: grated cheddar and a line of condensed milk over the top while hot.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.