MAYO's KITCHEN: CRUMBS & NOTES

Crispy on the outside, soft and sticky on the inside, and kissed with honey twice. Huge respect to Bu Nanik for turning this into the icon it is — double-fried, sweet, and endlessly copied, but hers is the blueprint.

  Recipe by William Gozali

 

Gather These First

Honey Dip

• 6 tbsp honey
• 10 tbsp water
• A pinch of salt

You’ll dip the bananas in this twice — don’t throw it out after marinating!

The Batter

• 7–9 pisang raja, or 3–4 regular bananas
• 200 g all-purpose flour
• 75 g rice flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 30 g sugar
• 1 drop of vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp instant coconut milk powder
• A pinch of salt
• 200–225 ml water, added slowly (I usually go with 200 ml — the bananas will release extra liquid after marinating.)

 

Step by Step

🍌 Prep the Bananas

1. Cut the bananas into chunks. If using regular bananas, cut lengthwise, then slice into smaller pieces.
2. Mix the honey dip ingredients in a bowl and marinate the banana pieces for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, mix together all batter ingredients in a large bowl, slowly adding water until smooth and slightly thick.
4. Strain the bananas (but save the honey water!) and fold the bananas into the batter using a spatula.

🍳 Mix & Fry

1. Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Once hot, drop spoonfuls of the banana batter into the oil. (For uniform shapes, use a ring mold and lift it after about 2 minutes.)
2. Fry until the bottom is golden, then flip and cook the other side until evenly crisp.
3. Transfer to a tray or paper towel to drain. Repeat until all batter is used.

🔁 Dip & Double Fry

1. Quickly dip the fried bananas back into the honey mixture — just a second or two, like French toast.
2. Return them to the pan and fry both sides again for about 2 minutes each until deep golden and sticky.
3. Be careful — this part can get splashy. Use a splatter guard or back off just a little.