Walk into any Kerala kitchen during a festival and you will hear it before you see it: the hiss of thin slices of raw banana dropping into hot coconut oil. Within minutes the whole house smells of it. That sound and that smell are what a good packet of banana chips tries to bring back.
Why it has to be nendran
Nendran is a large, thick-skinned plantain grown across Kerala; you will also hear it called ethan or ethakka. Unlike the sweet dessert bananas sold in most shops, a raw nendran is firm and starchy, with very little sugar. That is exactly what a chip needs. The slice keeps its shape in the oil, turns golden instead of soggy and finishes with a clean, light crunch.
Ripe nendran has a life of its own. It is steamed, fried as pazhampori or cooked into sweets. Chips, however, are always made from the raw fruit, picked when it is mature but still green. A banana that is even slightly too ripe fries darker, tastes sweeter and loses its snap, which is why the choice of fruit matters more than any trick in the recipe.
From bunch to slice
The method looks simple and rewards patience. The banana is peeled just before frying, because the cut fruit darkens quickly. It is then sliced into thin rounds directly over the pan, so every piece drops straight into the oil. Thin, even slices fry at the same speed; thick or uneven ones come out half-soft in the middle.
The oil is kept hot enough that the slices bubble hard at first and then settle as the moisture leaves them. The cook watches for the bubbling to quieten and the colour to turn a pale gold. At the very end a little salted water is traditionally sprinkled over the pan, which spits and sizzles dramatically, and that is how the salt reaches every slice. The chips are then lifted out and spread to cool, where they finish crisping.
Why coconut oil matters
Kerala is coconut country, and coconut oil is the cooking oil of the state’s traditional kitchen. It has a recognisable aroma, and it is part of what people mean when they say a banana chip tastes “like home”. Fry the same banana in a neutral oil and you get a crisp snack. Fry it in coconut oil and you get upperi, the one that smells of a Kerala kitchen.
At Arara Foods we use coconut oil for the same reason families always have: it is what the snack is meant to taste of. Our banana chips are fried in coconut oil, in small batches, and packed in nitrogen-flushed resealable packs with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
Upperi and sharkara upperi
Two kinds of banana chips belong to every Kerala festival. Upperi, which Malayalis also call kaya varuthathu (fried raw banana), are the thin, salted chips most of us know: pale gold, crisp and savoury. Sharkara upperi, also called sharkara varatti, are thicker pieces of nendran that are fried and then tossed in a syrup of jaggery with dried ginger and cardamom, so each piece is sweet, spiced and slightly sticky.
Both are served at a traditional Kerala feast, where they sit on the banana leaf beside the pickles and pappadam before the rice arrives. If you are planning a festival table, our festival snack platter guide shows how to build one.
What to look for in a good banana chip
- Colour: an even pale gold. Dark brown edges mean the oil was too hot or the bananas were too ripe.
- Sound: a clean snap when you break one, not a soft bend.
- Smell: warm coconut oil with a little salt, and nothing stale or heavy.
- Feel: dry and light. Chips that leave a greasy film on your fingers were not drained and cooled properly.
A pack that passes all four tests tastes the same on the last handful as on the first, as long as you reseal it.
Why the price changes
Banana chips look like a simple product, but their main ingredients move with the market. The price of nendran bananas follows the season and the supply, and coconut oil is traded daily. That is why Arara Foods does not print prices on the website: we confirm today’s price personally when you enquire.
How to enjoy them
- With a hot cup of tea or coffee in the afternoon, the classic Kerala way.
- Beside a plate of rice, sambar and thoran, where a few chips add crunch to the meal.
- On a snack platter next to Kerala mixture and murukku.
- Crumbled over curd rice for a salty crunch.
Keep the pack tightly resealed and store it somewhere cool and dry. Banana chips stay crisp until air gets to them.
Ready to taste the difference? Read more about our salted banana chips or send an order enquiry and our team will call you with today’s price.
