Recipe for Kongunad Pazha Kachayam – Banana Kajjaya. Sweet Banana Fritters recipe made with all purpose flour, semolina and ripe bananas.
This is a very popular evening snack made in the kongu region and the nice thing about this recipe is that it can be put together in no time. This recipe involves very minimal prep work and uses very basic ingredients that can be found in almost every home. Whenever I have over ripe bananas at home, I store it in the freezer and use it later for making banana bread or Pazha kachayam. Usually poovan or rasthali variety of banana is used for this recipe back home. But you can use any variety of ripe banana and it just works fine. The key to this recipe is to use ripe bananas. This makes for a killer evening snack. In Kongunad, we call this Kachayam or Kajjayam கச்சாயம் . Many people tell me that its a variety of adirasam அதிரசம். But there is a difference. Adirasam uses only rice flour but kachayam uses a combination of rice flour, wheat flour or semolina. Whatever you wanna call it, this is one good fritter.
Here is the video of how to make Pazha Kachayam
Here is how to do Pazha Kachayam
Mash the bananas in a bowl.
Add in the maida and fine rava to the bowl.
Add in powdered sugar (You can pulse the sugar in a mixie for a minute and add it) and cardamom powder.
A note on Sugar – Do not add too much sugar. Adding too much sugar will brown the kachayam very fast in oil before the inside gets cooked. So add only the mentioned amount of sugar. In some homes, they even use powdered jaggery.
Mix the batter well. Add in two tablespoon of water and mix the batter. Do not add too much water. The batter itself will become watery after a couple of minutes due to the addition of sugar and bananas. So add water only if the batter is dry.
Add in the baking soda and mix well. The batter should be thick like the picture below. Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a kadai until medium hot. Add a small piece of the batter to check if the oil is ready. The oil is ready if the batter floats immediately to the top. If not wait for a minute more. Add in small scoops of the batter to the oil when the oil is ready.
Keep turning the batter balls so the batter cooks evenly on both sides. I use a fork / spoon to turn the batter. It works so well.
Deep fry until its golden. Remove and drain on paper towels.
Crisp on the outside, soft and spongy and sweet on the inside. The flavours of cardamom and bananas are heavenly.
Do try it at home.
Pazha Kachayam – Banana Kajjaya – Banana Fritters Recipe
Recipe for Kongunad Pazha Kachayam – Banana Kajjaya. Sweet Banana Fritters recipe made with all purpose flour (maida), semolina (rava) and ripe bananas.
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 30 balls 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 ripe medium size bananas)
- 1 cup maida (all purpose flour)
- 1/2 cup fine rava (sooji semolina)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (powdered in mixie)
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Mash the bananas in a bowl. Add in the maida and fine rava to the bowl.
- Add in powdered sugar and cardamom powder.
- Mix the batter well. Add in two tablespoon of water and mix the batter. Do not add too much water. The batter itself will become watery after a couple of minutes due to the addition of sugar and bananas. So add water only if the batter is dry.
- Add in the baking soda and mix well. Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes.
- Heat oil in a kadai until medium hot.
- Add in small scoops of the batter to the oil when the oil is ready.
- Keep turning the batter balls so the batter cooks evenly on both sides.
- Deep fry until its golden. Remove and drain on paper towels.
Notes
Do not add too much sugar. Adding too much sugar will brown the kachayam very fast in oil before the inside gets cooked. So add only the mentioned amount of sugar.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Tamilnadu
Can I add rice flour instead of wheat/maida. As I have gluten allergy?
I am not sure how the texture will be as I have never tried it with rice flour.
What about the shelf life
This doesnt store well. Use same day.
Tried it today … although I did not get the perfect round share. It was easy to prepare and excellent taste.
Also your Thalapakatti Biriyani is a must try for everyone. perfect.
Thank you.
G
Thank You!
Nostalgic dish! We add grated coconut also which gives a unique taste.
Thank you!
Can I replace maida with wheat flour? if yes, what would the revised ingredients be?
Never tried with 100% wheat flour. May be you can do 50:50 atta and maida
I tried this simple recipe and the kacchayams were delicious. This is one favourite dish of my husband and it was his birthday yesterday and made it special with his fav homemade recipes.
I think we have two things in common, love for baking and beaches. In this lockdown i am loving how much of a good cook i can be 🙂
Thanks Ms Suguna, for this wonderful recipe.
Hi Suguna,
I tried this dish its really good to have and but please avoid maida to have.
I made it. It was a hit.
Can I try this in paniyara satti.
My favorite sweet prepared every time in my ammayi’s home. Lipsmacking simple easy to go sweet. Nostalgic to those in your kitchen. BTW tried your Annapurna sambar and it was a hit in my home. Nandri nandri.
Thank you!
We make this every year on Aadi 18 when we pray to our late Grandfather as this was his favorite sweet. Got me nostalgic about those days. Thanks for sharing the recipe:)
I love the crunchiness that rava gives to pazha kachayam. Everyone enjoyed at home.
Thanks
Thank you. Glad you liked it!
I prepared kollu dosai, annapoorna sambar, pazha kachayam for potluck- theme – regional food. Everyone praised me. I should thank you for that.
Thanks much!
Hi Akka
Can wheat flour replace the maida
Yes, you can try with atta but it will be a little dry.
Can we use whole wheat flour instead of maida
You may try. It should be ok.
So lovely recipie. Bananas and coconut are two popular ingredients of south Indian cooking. I love bananas and coconuts. They say bananas put on weight. But I still love them . I know babies are given banana powder milk. Then why do they say that bananas put on weight ?
Preeti,
bananas, the more ripe they are the more sugar content thus the chances of putting on weight. I hope this help.