SHAlINI SAKSENA who was in Kerala recently, tells you what makes banana chips from God's Own Country so celestial
Those who visit the South, there are a few things that are must buy. A silk saree, spices and banana chips. Family and friends will forgive you if you go back from this part of the country without a silk saree but try going back without banana chips and you will hear no end of it.
So, what makes banana chips or Upperi, as they are called in Kerala, so popular even in the North. First, they look exotic. At least the ones down South are beautiful. Bags filled look like gold coins from afar. Second, how the chips get its natural yellow colour during frying. Third, the combination of the slight sweetness of the banana with salt is great.
Unlike the chips one gets in Delhi which are smaller in size, the chips in Kerala can only be called huge. The bright yellow colour is inviting. The best part is that no colouring is added to get this fantastic colour. A banana chip outlet on MG Road in Kochi — Malabar Chips — has a few answers. Sadi, the person behind the counter, first and foremost tells you that they don’t have any branch. But what about all the shops with Malabar ChipsIJ
“The name has nothing to do with it. We make authentic banana chips. This means that we use pure coconut oil and a particular variety of banana — Nendrankai — to make the chips,” Sadi says.
What makes this variety special is that one doesn’t have to add any turmeric or colour to get the yellowish that banana chips are associated with. “If you have picked the right quality of Nendrankai, there is no reason why one has to add the colour. The colour of the chips comes naturally as you fry them in pure coconut oil” Sadi explains.
This is also one reason why there are so many banana chip shops by the same name. Malabar is a region which has different types of banana. There are more than five varieties from this area alone. Each of the chips makers have their own variety giving each shop’s chips a distinct flavour if you know your bananas.
The tricky part is to figure out which is the right shop from where one should buy the chips. localities tell you that you find chips at each and every corner. Buy wherever, you can find a shop that sells them which includes a supermarket as well. Those who know their chip will point you to their go-to shop. For the uninitiated North Indian, one variety is the same as the other. We just want the chips to be tasty and safely reach the Capital.
The advise here is to not go looking for the best shop but to go to a shop which is conveniently located from where one is staying. The rest is taken care of — the freshness— each shop makes a batch that can be consumed in a day. The next day— it is fresh chips again. Sometimes you may end up at a shop which is out of banana chips. All one has to do is wait for 12-15 minutes while the cook quickly peels a fresh batch of green bananas, slices them on a custom make slicer which is put over the big kadhai full of boiling oil.
Years of practice ensures that each batch of chips tastes the same from that shop. “We use Nendrankai and have been doing it for years. Therefore, no change in taste. Of course, we have a spicy masala and the regular chips. Some people like spicy, some no masala. We have to cater to both,” Sadi says.
It is rare that one will walk away with a single packet of chips given that the shop is stacked with jackfruit, tapioca and karela chips. Not to forget to mention the murukus and rose biscuits which are basically batter fried flower shaped local cookies.
A 500 gm of banana chips costs Rs 160, the rose biscuits Rs 100 for 10 pieces and jackfruit chips for Rs 80 for 250 gm.