Sweet banana fingers make the most wonderful fritters. They are sweet and just the right size to be stuffed with a pistachio nut paste and dipped in a feathery batter and serve with a tropical passionfruit sauce.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup unsalted pistachio nuts
• 1 tblsp Amaretto or banana liqueur
• 1-2 tblsp sugar
• 8 lady fingers bananas
• ½ cup flour
• pinch salt
• ½ cup chilled water
• 50 grams butter, melted and cooked until nut brown
• 1 egg white

Passionfruit and Jaggery Sauce

• ¾ cup grated jaggery (palm sugar)
• grated rind and juice 1 lime
• 1 cup passionfruit pulp
• 2 tblsp banana liqueur or rum

Method

1. Process the pistachio nuts, sugar and liqueur until they form a thick reasonably paste. If you do not have a small processor, then chop the nuts finely and blend with the sugar and liqueur.
2. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Whisk in the ice cold water to make a smooth thin batter. Quickly whisk in the brown butter and then allow the batter to stand for 30 minutes to rest.
3. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan to 180ºC. When ready to cook the bananas, make a small slit in the inside curve of the banana and stuff carefully with a little of the pistachio nut paste.
4. Whisk the egg white until it forms stiff peaks and fold into the batter. Dip the bananas into the batter and straight into the hot oil. Deep fry for 2 minutes or until the bananas and lightly golden.
5. Serve in a bowl with vanilla icecream and dredged with icing sugar and coated with the Passionfruit and Jaggery Sauce.
6. Passionfruit and Jaggery Sauce.
7. Grate the jaggery if it is not already grated and place in a saucepan with the lime rind and juice and simmer stirring constantly until the jaggery has dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the passionfruit pulp and liqueur or rum. Makes 1½ cups