Copycat Tucanos Fried Bananas

February was a busy month for our family. Obviously, there was Valentine’s Day. Holiday’s always make it busy for mom. I also had the Blue and Gold Banquet to put together. It was so fun! On top of it all, my husband was out of town three times for three different conferences. I don;t know how all of you military wives and single moms do it! A couple of days without my man and I am about to go crazy! My kids are, too. After his second trip, I came up with an idea. I begged asked him to take me with him for the last trip! My so awesome sister-in-law watched our kids and we got three whole days away. It’s been years since we’ve had that opportunity. It was heaven! Especially visiting a warmer place than home in the middle of February.

Since we don’t get to eat out often at home, we took full advantage of going to “grown-up” restaurants that we wouldn’t normally take our kids to. We’ve heard great things about Tucanos, but have never been. It’s a really fun restaurant if you haven’t tried it. It’s a Brazilian Grill with this amazing salad bar. I’ve never been to such an elaborate and deliciously stocked salad bar! There were so many yummy things that I had to try. We left the restaurant feeling fuller than I’ve felt in as long as I can remember.

One of the yummy things that they had were these little fried bananas. I knew my kids would gobble them up if I could somehow find a way to make them at home. I’ve made them a few times and I think I’ve got a pretty close replica. Either way, these are yummy! They are warm, and sweet, and a little bit mushy on the inside. They make a really great dessert!

These are pretty simple to make. It’s basically just bananas dipped in batter and fried in oil. I played around quite a bit with the exact batter recipe and this one is my favorite. Be sure that you choose bananas that aren’t too ripe. We’re not making banana bread here. They need to be ripe, but still firm.

Copycat Tucanos Fried Bananas

4 bananas
1/4 C flour
1/4 C rice flour (plus about 1 cup more)
1/4 C cornstarch
2 Tbsp sugar
1/3 C water
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 quart of canola oil for frying

Preheat your oil in a deep frying pan. I always preheat my oil on low while I prepare the rest (I have a gas stove, so it heats oil pretty quickly). You definitely don’t want your oil to get too hot or in no time, it will burn these! It’s ready when you can drop a little bit of flour in and it sizzles.

For the batter, combine the flour, 1/4 c rice flour, cornstarch, sugar and baking soda in a bowl. Stir it to combine it well. Add the water and vanilla and mix again. Then, add the egg and mix until combined really well. I usually use a fork and mix this by hand.

In a second bowl, put your remaining 1 cup of rice flour.

Quarter your bananas by cutting them in half and then in half again lengthwise. Coat each banana in the wet batter and then dredge in the rice flour. The extra layer of rice flour really makes these yummy and crispy on the outside.When I make these, I get all of the banana quarters ready first, then take them all to the oil to cook.

Fry 3-4 bananas at a time. They cook really quickly. Only about 45 seconds to 1 minute per side.When they’re done frying, move them to a paper towel lined plate to drain. They’ll be really hot for a few minutes. Let them cool a little bit before eating them. That will also give them a few minutes for the banana to finish cooking the banana all the way through.

These are so delicious! I hope your family enjoys them as much as ours!!