Copyright 2011. All rights reserved. Moggysmekongmadness

All content on this blog remain the property of moggysmekongmadness. Where photos are not taken by the author, all efforts to credit photographer have been made. Kindly refrain from reproducing or scrapping.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Fried Bananas - Chiên Chuối

I had been looking everywhere for these mythical fried bananas!  I had read about them somewhere and was determined to find them.  After some consultation with some Vietnamese friends it seems I had my timings all wrong.  They are likely to appear early afternoon on the street and that is usually the time I am finishing up work. They are also a little tricky to spot as unlike a lot of the street food here, they are not on display as they need to be made fresh.
You can imagine my delight as I strolled down Pasteur yesterday and right near Qing Bar was a lady set up with her chiên chuối .
Yes, it is highly unhealthy and yes, I had just had a big lunch...but what can you do?

She skilfully bashes the living daylights out of a banana, dips it in the the batter and pops it in the bubbling oil.  All by the side of the busy road.


The result was pretty good I must say.  The dough was a bit thick for my liking and it could have done with a sprinkling of sugar.  I guess I had built them up in my mind and was slightly disappointed.  Probably a good thing or I would end up the size of a house.  They cost 5,000VND each (about 25c).  I suppose every individual makes them differently so perhaps my quest should be to find the perfect chiên chuối lady.  A girls gotta a have a hobby right?

3 comments:

  1. I had amazingly good ones in Hoi An, but like you I never seem to find them in Saigon. I'm out at the wrong time and almost never anywhere near a school...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sorry to correct ya, it's Chuoi Chien.. :)
    Ever tried Chuoi nuong?? it sliced thin like paper & formed a sheet. Toss over a burning coals and serve w/ coco sauce. Voila.. Oh so good!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nodink very happily corrected! I had a 50/50 chance though! Chuoi nuong sounds like something I should definitely try. Katrina, if you find somewhere...let me know!!!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting. It will be published after moderation.