We went to Guruvayur temple in Kerala, on our last visit to India. Besides being God's own country, Kerala is known for its nendranka chips, which is a favorite of mine, since childhood. It has a very distinct flavor as it is made using coconut oil.On the way back from Guruvayur temple we passed through Vadakkencherry, where we came across shops that make fresh chips, the traditional way. Um, the smell itself made us to pull aside and taste the delicacy. While our batch was getting ready, my shutter was busy capturing the action...
The Nendran banana (நேந்த்ரன்கா) used for making the chips is neither raw nor ripe.
The vendor told us that instead of regular wok and electric or gas stoves, they use brass wok on top of traditional brick stove & firewood for making the chips, to get the signature nendran chips flavor. They seemed to be proud of even their wok, you could see it from their gleam!
Slicing the nendraka in a fast mode right on top of hot oil...
Getting fried on a low flame...Deftly taking the chips out after few minutes of frying...
No salt or any other flavor was added, it was divine and the taste still lingers.
These are taken in Pangkor islands, Malaysia.
