Cucur kodok pisang
When I was growing up in Penang, my mum would make cucur kodok pisang (banana fritters) for my father as a snack. I would help her out in the kitchen and there would be the usual squabbles between mother and daughter as she would complain that I got in her way. By the time I was my teens, I could make this on my own. These days, when I make this banana snack for my own children, it brings back fond memories of the times I shared with my mum in the kitchen.

Funny story. One time when a schoolmate dropped in to visit back in the day, mum made some cucur kodok pisang for us. In Penang, they call this kuih kodok. My friend refused to eat this as she was horrified at the thought that we were eating actual kodok (toads in Malay)!

For this snack, after mixing all the ingredients together, you can shape the mixture into small ping-pong balls for frying. The trick is to dip your fingers in cold water before shaping the batter so it doesn’t stick to your hands. Alternatively, you can also scoop up spoonfuls of batter and pan-fry this into mini pancakes. This tastes great as a dessert with a dollop of ice-cream! — Contributed by Sandra Samad/Chinta Restaurant

Cucur Kodok Pisang

Ingredients:

400g pisang mas, mashed (you can also use pisang berangan)

2 tbsp white or brown sugar (depending which you prefer)

150g flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

50g grated coconut (optional)

Method:

1. Mash the ripened banana together with the sugar.

2. Mix the dry ingredients together.

3. Add the banana, mix well and then put in the grated coconut.

4. Shape the batter into small round balls the size of ping-pong balls.

5. Fill up a pot/wok with oil for frying, heat up sufficiently, and fry until golden brown. Serve when slightly cooled down.
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When I was growing up in Penang, my mum would make cucur kodok pisang (banana fritters) for my father as a snack. I would help her out in the kitchen and there would be the usual squabbles between mother and daughter as she would complain that I got in her way.