Johor Fried Banana Chips at Deepavali Expo in Downtown JB

Today, I stumbled upon this banana chip stall at the Deepavalli bazaar at the Hindu temple in downtown JB. This was just one of the dozens of colourful temporary tent stalls selling food, clothes and trinkets during Deepavalli.

Restaurant name: Fried Banana Chip stall at Deepavalli Expo
Address: Jalan Ungku Puan (outside Sri Raja Mariamman Temple) Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/YJyoo
GPS: 1.458872,103.763701
Hours: 12;00noon to 9:00pm
No pork, no lard, no Halal cert

I was browsing the stalls when a blaze of flying banana chips shot across my eye.



Then these men looking like a music band shooting sliced bananas point blank at rapid fire into a large wok of boiling oil stopped me in my tracks.



I looked around and realised that this was like a small efficient banana chip factory. The process starts with peeling the bananas at the stall. (These are more accurately known as plantains - a close cousin of bananas but larger, firmer and lower in sugar.)



The bananas peeled and ready for slicing and frying.



The banana chips are fried salt free. Just real bananas sliced on the spot and  dropped straight into the hot oil with nothing added.



The fried banana chips almost done :)



Freshly fried banana chips :D Notice how free of oil and grease the baskets are?



Each plastic bag of freshly fried banana chips sells at RM15.



Each paper bagful sells for RM5, which isn't cheap. But, it's crackly crispiness is addictive. I finished my bagful within minutes :P



There isn't too much taste or flavour in the banana chip - just a very slight gritty sweetness. It is just fried unripe pulp. Banana (plantain) chips are stiffer and denser than potato chips. It also has nicer texture and are quite healthy for something fried.

Best thing is, these chips are not greasy. Even after a whole bagful all by myself, I did not feel any rancid or oily aftertaste. This banana chips make for pretty guilt free munching :-P

I love these chips :)



Unfortunately, this stall opens only during Deepavalli. At other times, these men go back to their normal jobs.

Date visited: 1 Nov 2013