These plantain chips are the perfect evening snack to pair with your chai /coffee. Made with raw plantains (called raw green banana in India), some turmeric, salt and oil for frying. It’s simple, SO DELICIOUS and a family favourite! Follow along with my easy step-by-step guide with photos for reference.
Inspiration for making plantain chips
I used to eat this addictive snack every day as a child! They are quite a delicacy in Kerala and you get to buy delicious freshly fried plantain chips from authentic Chip Shops/Centres.
Fun fact: I used to called plantains “raw banana” all my life in India until I travelled abroad and realised its actually plantains. So if you want real Indian plantain recipes, you are going to want to search for raw banana recipes LOL.
How to make Plantain Chips?
The recipe is very simple with basic ingredients:
Plantains: You need raw plantains for this recipe. You can get by substituting with raw bananas but they don’t taste the same.
Turmeric water for soaking plantains: In a large bowl, mix water with turmeric and let the plantains soak for about 30 minutes. This helps with the colour and also prevents the plantains from oxidising while you prep the frying oil.
Oil for frying: Traditionally these are fried in coconut oil and I do believe that gives these plantain chips the best flavour. But if that’s too expensive for you, use any regular frying oil. Make sure to fry on high heat.
Turmeric concentrate for pouring into the oil: This is the star of the show that gives the chips that classic yellow colour. Just mix turmeric powder with salt and a bit of water, pour a teaspoon of this concentrate for each batch that you fry. Make sure you fry the plantains in batches to prevent clustering.
Let me know if you try this simple plantain chips recipe. Tag @beextravegant on Instagram .
If you don’t follow me there, I think it’s time you do that. I post yummy reels about vegan recipes and everything that is edible.
If you like this recipe, check out other snacks from there blog:
- Healthy Vegan laddoo
- Baked Aloo Tikki
- Tofu masala sandwich
Plantain chips
Ingredients1x2x3x
- 2 large raw plantains called nendra Pazham in Kerala
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 4 cups water
- Coconut oil for frying
Instructions
- Slit the tops and peel the the plantains, with greased hands if necessary (sometimes they could get sticky/slimy).
- Pour 4 cup water in a large bowl with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp turmeric and stir.
- Soak the plantains in this bowl for about 30 minutes.
- Drain off the water and soak excess moisture with a kitchen towel.
- Then, slice to medium thickness (with a mandolin, preferably).
- Drop them in hot coconut oil in batches of one layer, to avoid clustering.
- Make a turmeric water concentrate with 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp salt and 2 tbsp water.
- Pour a tsp of this concoction into the frying chips (making sure to stay at a safe distance). This gives the chips the classic bright yellow colour.
- Stir occasionally, and fry on medium flame.
- Fry for about 10 minutes or until crispy but not golden brown.
- Remove excess oil with a kitchen towel.
- Enjoy plantain chips hot, with a cup of chai or store in an airtight jar for up to a month.
Looking for the perfect Vegan Chai Recipe? This recipe is for you, then! This is the best Masala Chai I have ever had (including the dairy ones I have had before turning vegan). It is packed with fragrant spices like cardamom and cloves and aromatics like lemongrass and ginger. The perfect beverage to wake up to or as a pick up during the day with no need for dairy.
What is Chai?
Chai translates to tea. I feel like I have to keep repeating myself because I keep seeing folks calling it “chai tea” and it’s one of my pet peeves. So why is “chai spices” a thing?
In India, Chai is always consumed with milk (like our dear friends from England do). When Chai is consumed without milk, we like to call it Kala Chai (black tea). Because the norm is to always add milk. And we like to spice it up to add a flavour punch. So when we add spices to Chai, like cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, pepper etc., it becomes Masala Chai. Masala meaning a mix of spices.
Plain Chai (without the Masala) is consumed when you don’t have the time to crush up a few whole spices or grate some ginger.
How to make Vegan Chai?
If you think about it, Masala Chai is all about that those spices and good quality black tea leaves. I prefer the Indian brands for this one. Especially, Assam black tea known for being strong. So if you replace the dairy with a vegan alternative, it’s done! But I do have some tips and suggestions because not all subs go well.
Steps:
- Start by crushing your whole spices in a mortar and pestle.
- Then slice lemongrass and grate the ginger.
- Add the spices and aromatics to a pan with water in it and bring to a boil.
- Once it starts boiling, add the tea leaves and bring down the heat.
- Let it get to the strength of infusion you want and turn off the heat and add the vegan milk. I don’t like boiling vegan milks too long, especially if its oat milk. You can get by boiling soy milk though.
- Serve hot with snacks like Vegan laddoos , Pazham Pori , Samosas or Aloo Tikki !
Ingredients and subs:
Vegan milk : I prefer soy milk or oat milk for this. Usually oat milk (I have a recipe for it) is the best sub since it does not impart a strong flavour of its own. I always have soy milk lying around at home (since it is nutritionally closest to dairy milk) so I end up making it with soy milk.
Whole Spices : Cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper. Now you can remove whatever is not available to you from this list. Sometimes I just add cardamom and its delicious. And is called Elaichi Chai (cardamom tea). You can sub with pre-ground versions but they lose taste with time in the shelf.
Aromatics : This is where the recipe takes to the next level. Lemongrass and Ginger. These two bad boys here make this Vegan Chai extremely fragrant and delicious. The flavour punch! You can skip these if it ain’t available.
And that’s it! Let me know if you try this recipe and I would love to see what you paired it up with. Tag @beextravegant on Instagram . If you don’t follow me there, I think it’s time you do that. I post yummy reels about vegan recipes and everything that is edible. Ciao!
If you like this recipe, check out other recipes from there blog:
- Healthy Vegan laddoo
- Bakes Aloo Tikki
- Vegan Kulfi
Vegan Masala Chai
Ingredients1x2x3x
- 2 cups Water 480 ml
- 2-3 tsp Loose tea leaves black tea
- 2/3 cup Oat/soy milk 160 ml
- Brown sugar to taste
Whole Spices
- 6 Whole green cardamom
- 2-3 Black peppercorns
- 4-5 Whole cloves
- 1 stick Cinnamon
- 1 pinch Grated nutmeg
Aromatics
- 1 inch Ginger
- 1 stalk Lemongrass optional
Instructions
- Take a mortar and pestle and crush your whole spices. Set aside.
- Slice lemongrass into 1 inch pieces and lightly crush it under a knife. Grate the ginger with a microplane or grater.
- Add water to a pan, add the spices and aromatics (lemongrass and ginger) and bring to a boil.
- Once it starts boiling, add the tea leaves and turn down the heat to medium or medium-low.
- Let it get to the strength of infusion you want (I like to let it be on a slow boil for about 2-3 minutes) and turn off the heat and add the oat/soy milk. Heat it again if it’s not hot enough, but do not boil (especially oat milk).
- Add sugar to taste and serve hot with snacks!
This vegan Ras Malai is inspired by the traditional Bengali dessert that’s made with dairy. This is a completely veganised version and it is going to blow your mind. It is perfect for sharing with your friends and family to celebrate any festival or happy occasion!
Inspiration to veganise Ras Malai
One of the things I missed the most after turning vegan was being able to enjoy Indian desserts because they are usually filled with dairy. Ever since I honed my cooking skills and learned more about vegan substitutes, things have been quite easy. This recipe goes on to prove that anything can be veganised. The easiest way to replace milk in most recipes is with soy milk. And that’s how I rocked this one! Go soy milk!
How to make Vegan Ras Malai?
The base of a Ras Malai is chena (fresh cheese or paneer) usually made from scratch. It is formed into flattened balls and boiled in a sugar syrup, then soaked in spiced malai (cream). You can watch me make it here .
Vegan chena/paneer:
You can easily sub this with tofu. The key to this recipe is soy milk. You can use a curdling agent like lemon juice. Once, it is formed, mix it with a bit of corn starch to get a doughy consistency that can be easily shaped.
Sugar syrup:
In this step, heat up water, add sugar and cardamom to it, then bring it to a boil. Now drop the ras malai shapes in the sugar syrup so that they can soak up the syrup and turn sweet.
Malai (cream syrup):
Blend together soaked and softened cashews, pistachios, soy milk, sugar, cardamom, and soaked saffron strands. You can skip the saffron strands if it is not available but make sure to add cardamom, at least.
This recipe is fairly simple to make and you can serve it chilled on a hot summer’s day. Let me know how you liked this recipe and if you do try it don’t forget to tag me @beextravegant. Check out my other reels and recipes on Instagram .
Check out other desserts from my page:
- Healthy Vegan Laddoos
- Vegan Cardamom Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Easy Vegan Kulfi
Let me know if you try this vegan ras malai recipe. Tag @beextravegant on Instagram .
Vegan Ras Malai
Ingredients1x2x3x
Vegan chena/paneer (sub with tofu):
- 5 cups soy milk
- 2-3 tbsp lemon juice for curdling
- 2-3 tbsp corn starch
Sugar syrup:
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp crushed cardamom
- 4 cups water
Malai (cream syrup)
- 1/3 cup cashews
- 1/3 cup pistachios
- Hot water
- 1/3 cup soy milk
- 5-6 cardamom pods shelled
- 5-6 strands saffron
- 1/2 cup sugar
Instructions
Vegan Chena (the fresh cheese):
- Bring to boil 5 cups soy milk (making sure not to burn the bottom). Once it comes to a boil, add lemon juice and turn off the heat. Let the milk curdle.
- Pour into a cheese cloth and hang for 45 minutes.
- Squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
- Add corn starch (add more if required), mix well and form little flat round shapes and set aside.
Sugar syrup:
- Bring water, sugar and crushed cardamom to a boil.
- Bring it to a simmer and slowly add the vegan chena balls into the syrup and let it cook for about 3-5 minutes. Take them out and set aside.
Vegan Malai:
- Soak cashews and pistachio in hot water for 30 minutes. Soak saffron and cardamom seeds as well and let them infuse.
- Pour everything into a blender with water and sugar and blend well. It should form a viscous liquid. (If not, heat it on a pan and reduce it to the right consistency)
Assembly:
- For best results, pour the Malai onto all the chena balls and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, it comes out AMAZING. But, if you are in a hurry, just pour immediately onto the chena balls and serve.
Notes
Plantain chips
Ingredients1x2x3x
- 2 large raw plantains called nendra Pazham in Kerala
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 4 cups water
- Coconut oil for frying
Instructions
- Slit the tops and peel the the plantains, with greased hands if necessary (sometimes they could get sticky/slimy).
- Pour 4 cup water in a large bowl with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp turmeric and stir.
- Soak the plantains in this bowl for about 30 minutes.
- Drain off the water and soak excess moisture with a kitchen towel.
- Then, slice to medium thickness (with a mandolin, preferably).
- Drop them in hot coconut oil in batches of one layer, to avoid clustering.
- Make a turmeric water concentrate with 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp salt and 2 tbsp water.
- Pour a tsp of this concoction into the frying chips (making sure to stay at a safe distance). This gives the chips the classic bright yellow colour.
- Stir occasionally, and fry on medium flame.
- Fry for about 10 minutes or until crispy but not golden brown.
- Remove excess oil with a kitchen towel.
- Enjoy plantain chips hot, with a cup of chai or store in an airtight jar for up to a month.
