Sinapot
Ripe saba slices joined by a light rice-flour batter and fried as flat golden clusters, in our practical Bicol-style home version.
AI-generated serving illustration.
Ingredients
Measure and prepare everything before you begin cooking.
- 600 g peeled ripe but firm saba bananas, about 8 small bananas
- 100 g regular rice flour, not glutinous rice flour
- 40 g plain all-purpose flour
- 150 ml water, plus up to 30 ml more only if needed
- 15 g white sugar
- 2 g fine salt
- 500–750 ml neutral frying oil, enough for a 1–1.5 cm depth in a 24–26 cm heavy pan
- Coffee or tea, to serve
Instructions
- 1
Peel and weigh the bananas, then cut lengthwise into slices about 7 mm thick. Divide into eight groups of two or three slices, roughly 75 g banana per group. Pat away surface moisture.
- 2
Whisk rice flour, plain flour, sugar, salt and 150 ml water until smooth. Let stand for 5 minutes. If too thick to leave a thin coating on a banana slice, add extra water a teaspoon at a time, using only what is needed.
- 3
Pour oil into a dry heavy pan to a depth of 1–1.5 cm, keeping it well below halfway up the sides. Heat to approximately 170°C. Set a wire rack over a tray for draining.
- 4
Coat one group of banana slices with batter. Arrange them side by side, touching but not stacked, on a broad lightly oiled metal spatula. Add just enough batter between the slices to connect them, then carefully slide the flat cluster into the oil. Do not drop it from a height.
- 5
Fry two clusters at a time, leaving space between them, for approximately 3–4 minutes per side. Turn carefully once the underside is set. The coating should be golden and crisp and the banana tender through the middle. Reduce heat if the coating browns before the centre softens.
- 6
Drain on the rack. Let oil return to around 170°C between batches and repeat with the remaining groups; allow about four batches and 30–40 minutes overall including oil heating. Discard unused batter. Cool briefly and serve warm. These fritters have no caramel coating or spring-roll wrapper.
About Sinapot
Sinapot belongs to Bicol’s banana-fritter merienda tradition. Our home version uses mostly rice flour with a little wheat flour to help the flat clusters hold together. A broad spatula supports the slices instead of leaf-spine skewers. Banana Cue is caramel-coated and Turon is wrapped; this recipe is neither.
Ingredient swaps wherever you cook
- Choose ripe but firm saba; very soft dessert bananas can collapse. Ripe plantain is an overseas adaptation and needs its own tenderness check.
- Regular rice flour gives a lighter crisp coating; glutinous rice flour makes a different chewy batter. This version also contains wheat flour.
How to know it is ready
- Clusters are flat with slices touching, not overlapping in a thick pile.
- Both sides are crisp and golden; the middle banana slice is tender without wet batter.
Common mistakes and fixes
- A thick batter or stacked slices can brown outside before the middle is tender.
- Crowding lowers the oil temperature and makes the coating greasy. Keep the pan dry and use small batches.
Family and regional variations
- Serve the measured recipe with unsweetened tea or coffee.
Storage and reheating
Best warm for a crisp coating. Refrigerate leftovers in a shallow container within 2 hours and use within 2 days. Reheat once until piping hot throughout; the coating will soften during storage.
What to serve with it
Makes 8 fritters, one per serving. Contains wheat. Batter is made without milk or egg; check flour labels.
Sinapot FAQs
How do I know it is ready?
Clusters are flat with slices touching, not overlapping in a thick pile. Both sides are crisp and golden; the middle banana slice is tender without wet batter.
What matters when choosing a substitute?
Choose ripe but firm saba; very soft dessert bananas can collapse. Ripe plantain is an overseas adaptation and needs its own tenderness check.
Cooking guidance: Follow current food-safety advice and the instructions for your equipment.
