Banana chips

Ingredients

plantains -  6 fresh raw (not the variety used for baking banana bread or muffins)
coconut oil - 500 ml
1 Tablespoon of salt mixed with half cup of water
A sharp knife or a slicer

Method

Heat oil in a heavy, wide, and deep pan, in medium heat. ( Traditionally done in “Uruli”;  ‘kadai’ can also be used). Choose a size such that the oil fills up just half of the pan.

Make slits on the peel, just till the tip of the knife touches the plantain. With a slight push using the thumb, remove the peel. Peel all the plantains.

Slice one or two plantains very thin and spread them on a cutting board so that the slices don’t stick to each other.

Once the oil is hot (just about to start smoking, about 300°F), add just enough slices so as to form a single layer over the oil. Make sure the oil is not smoking hot; or else the chips will turn brown without getting crispy. Maintain medium heat throughout. As soon as the slices are added to the oil, stir them gently once. You can hear the oil sizzling. Now, gently add one or two spoons of the salt water to the oil and stir once again. The sizzling noise will be even more while adding the salt water. Be careful while adding the salt water as it could splash oil out if the pan is not wide and deep enough. You can switch off the heat while adding the salt water for a couple of seconds, just to be safe. Immediately bring the heat back up. Stir and turn the slices a couple of times. Once the color turns golden, and almost all the sizzling noise subsides, use a strainer, take the chips out, and place them on paper towels to remove the excess oil. Spread them on another paper towel to cool. They get crispier and a bit darker while cooling down.