Pisang goreng, or deep-fried banana fritters, is a popular local street food around every corner. Nearly every morning or night market is guaranteed to have at least one stall selling it. The reason is obvious: Malaysians have fanatic craving for it!
Residents of Tanjung Bungah are fortunate to have a nice pisang goreng stall in their area. Named Penang Tanjung Bungah Goreng Pisang, it operates at the back of a van parked beside the main road. To be precise, the stall is located near the junction of Jalan Tanjung Bungah (the main road leading to Batu Ferringhi) and Jalan Chan Siew Teong.
The menu looks quite interesting indeed. Besides the almighty banana which we all know and love, the menu also offers tapioca, sweet potatoes, yam, cempedak and other goodies to choose from. Regardless of ingredient, the preparation is simple and the same as pisang goreng.
First, bananas are peeled and cut into size suitable for finger food. When ready to cook, the banana pieces are dipped into batter, then quickly immersed in a wok of hot, spluttering oil. The extreme heat allows the batter solidify and form a crispy, golden layer of coating around the banana.
After a brief duration, the banana pieces are removed from the wok using a strainer and set aside for the excess oil to drip. Ideally, pisang goreng should be consumed as soon as possible; otherwise moisture from the air will cause it to become soggy and it loses its desired crisp.
The stall opens daily at high noon till early evening (once it sells out). However because each ingredient needs to be fried separately, the choices are limited when the stall opens for the day. Therefore, I am only able to try the Pisang Goreng, which sells for RM1.00 a pop.
The banana fritters are coated with a layer of golden crispy batter, allowing the bananas inside to remain hot even though the exterior has cooled somewhat. The irresistibly-delicious batter is a trade secret of this stall. No wonder this stall remains popular over the years!
The bananas inside are still steaming-hot when I broke them into halves. The bananas have soft smooth texture when bitten into, and have a natural taste of fruity sweetness. Obviously, the stall uses the perfect type of bananas for the job.
If not because the stall’s location is quite far from the city, I imagine that I am a regular customer here. My next mission is to try the other items on the menu.