One afternoon, I was hungry and looking for a snack in the kitchen. I found 3 whole pieces of saba which were left over from when mom cooked pocherong manok. I knew we had some pancake mix in the pantry so I decided to make maruya (banana fritter)for merienda. As I was preparing the bananas, I spotted a lone fuji apple in a bowl on the dining table. I decided I’d add that to what I’m making, so the banana fritters got upgraded to apple-banana fritters.
Here’s the recipe:
Apple Banana Fritters
3 ripe bananas (saba), sliced
1 medium apple, any variety
pancake mix
water
powdered sugar, for dusting
cinnamon
oil, for deep frying
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Prepare the batter. In a bowl, combine the pancake mix with water. Mix thoroughly until well blended. Batter should be free of lumps and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Set aside.
Peel and slice the bananas thinly. Core and peel the apples. Cut in half and slice thinly. Toss the apples and bananas in pancake mix until well covered. Scoop some of the mixture and place on a saucer. Slightly spread out the apples and bananas, and cover with more batter if necessary. Over the hot oil, gently slide off the mixture. Fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels or wire basket/rack. Dust with powdered sugar and add a dash of cinnamon before serving.
Makes about 6-7 fritters.
For this recipe, I used half of a 200 gm pack of instant pancake mix. The saba can be substituted with lakatan or plantains. These fritters are best served slightly warm.