Banana puri on a gold tray with a peony and diyas, from above

Desserts

Banana Puri

Delicate, flaky layers of fried pastry, stacked, coiled and rolled by hand, then finished with syrup or icing sugar, pistachios and rose petals.

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A Diwali table with banana puri piled on a gold cake stand, peonies and diyas Rows of plain and sugar-dusted banana puri on a gold tray, from above

Banana puri, for me, is to Indians what croissants are to the French – baking and confectionery at its absolute best. Getting those perfect, delicate layers is an art form.

Making banana puri is only intimidating until someone shows you how, but it is still a skill that takes time and practice to develop. I definitely did not get it right the first time! Even my mum took years to master it – and yes, she had many failed attempts along the way.

The fanned, flaky layers of a banana puri, from the side Close-up of banana puri topped with crushed pistachios and rose petals, from above

You might be tempted to give up after your first try, but with banana puri that is not how it works. So whilst I am giving you instructions that are as detailed as possible, the most important ingredient is perseverance!

The dough itself is incredibly simple, but resting it is key: at least two hours in the fridge, ideally overnight, so that the gluten relaxes. For the brushing paste, most people use just butter. My mum cooks down a roux of butter, margarine, flour and cornflour instead, which helps the banana puri to open more easily.

A sugar-dusted banana puri among plain coils, from above

The layers come from stacks of six thin sheets, each brushed with the paste and given the lightest dusting of cornflour. The stack is rolled out thin, coiled tightly into a log and sliced, and each slice is rolled flat so that you can see the layers on both sides, ready to open up in the oil. I cannot roll things round, and that is OK – rectangles work just as well 🙂

The layers hold a surprising amount of oil, so plan ahead: the banana puri need two days on newspaper or paper towel to drain. Then finish them with either a drizzle of syrup or a dusting of icing sugar – the syrup gives more flavour, whilst the icing sugar gives them a longer shelf-life.

Happy baking!

Hands pulling apart a banana puri to show its flaky layers Three banana puri on a striped gold plate with a diya, rosebuds and cardamom, from above

The recipe

Banana Puri

Makes 36 banana puri

adventureswithsugar.com/banana-puri/

Method

Method: dough

  1. Rub in the fats: Start by rubbing the butter and oil into the flour and baking powder.
  2. Form the dough: Add the milk and water to form a stiff dough, then knead for 2 – 3 minutes (but not too long).
  3. Rest: Set the dough aside in the fridge for at least two hours, ideally overnight, so that the gluten relaxes.
  4. Let it warm up: Once rested, remove the dough from the fridge and let it warm up for about an hour.

Method: brushing paste

  1. Make the roux: Begin by placing the butter, flour and cornflour into a saucepan and cooking on medium heat until it begins to smell toasty and the flour has cooked down.
  2. Add the margarine: Then add in the margarine and stir until melted.
  3. Let cool: Allow it to cool for 15 minutes before using. You do not want it piping hot, but it should still be liquid so that it is not too hard to brush.

Method: banana puri

  1. Divide the dough: Mise-en-place is important. Before you start layering or rolling, split your dough into 18 equal balls of about 25g each (I like to weigh them so they are all the same size), and roll them into 14 x 16cm rectangles. I cannot roll things round, and that is OK – they still turn out beautiful.
  2. Start the stack: Each stack uses 6 rectangles, so you will make 3 stacks. Brush the first two rectangles with the brushing paste and very sparingly sift some cornflour onto them, then stack them, flipping the one you are stacking on top so that the two brushed sides face each other.
  3. Build the layers: Repeat this with the next 4 rectangles: brush the top of the stack and one side of the new layer, sprinkle a very light dusting of cornflour, and add the layer on top of the stack with the brushed side down.
  4. Roll out the stack: Once you have all 6 layers stacked, roll it out into a 26 x 30cm rectangle with the shorter side facing you. It feels quite thin, but that is what gives you the beautiful, flaky layers.
  5. Brush the top: Brush the top with more brushing paste and a very, very light sprinkling of cornflour. Leave the last centimetre at the far edge clean.
  6. Coil it up: Roll it away from you, along the longer (30cm) side, so that you end with a 26cm log. Do not start with a tight roll – make a first fold of about 0.5 – 1cm, and from there, try to coil it tightly.
  7. Seal: As you finish rolling, spread a little of the flour and water paste along the last centimetre to stick it closed.
  8. Let it dry: Once rolled, let the log rest for about 5 minutes for the paste to dry.
  9. Slice: Slice off the two uneven ends so that you have a neat 24cm log, and cut it into 12 discs of 2cm each.
  10. Roll the discs: Place each disc on the table with the seam at the bottom, and roll it flat until it is about 12cm long. You should see the layers on both sides of the rolled-out banana puri.
  11. Fry: Heat your oil on low-medium heat, just deep enough to hold the banana puri. I fry them one at a time so that I can watch each one carefully. As it fries, the layers will open; spooning oil over it helps to separate the layers and cook it evenly (but be careful not to burn yourself with the hot oil!).
  12. Remove early: Remove each banana puri when it is just beginning to take on a hint of colour, before it turns golden. Place them on newspaper or paper towel to drain.
  13. Drain: Leave them for 2 days, changing the paper once or twice a day, so that all the oil drains out. You will be surprised how much oil they hold in between all the layers.
  14. Finish: Finish with either a drizzle of syrup or a dusting of icing sugar, and garnish with crushed pistachios, rose petals and some edible glitter.

What should I know about making banana puri?

Why does the dough need to rest so long?

Resting relaxes the gluten, so the rectangles roll out thin without springing back. At least two hours, but overnight is best.

Can I just use butter for brushing?

Most people do, but my mum's roux of butter, margarine, flour and cornflour helps the layers to open more easily when frying.

Do they have to be round?

Not at all! I cannot roll things round, and rectangles work just as well.

Syrup or icing sugar?

The syrup gives more flavour, whilst the icing sugar gives the banana puri a longer shelf-life.

Mine did not turn out on the first try. What now?

Keep going! Even my mum took years to master these. Perseverance really is the most important ingredient.

A banana puri topped with pistachios on a striped gold plate Banana puri on a gold tray with diyas, rosebuds and a pink cloth, from above

Recipe by adventureswithsugar.com

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