Kerala Banana Chips (Ethakka Upperi)

Name: Kerala Banana Chips (Ethakka Upperi)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 3 large raw nendran plantains, about 1½ lb (680 g) — or firm unripe green plantains; ½ tsp (2 g) ground turmeric; 4 cups (960 ml) water, for soaking; 6 cups (1.4 L) coconut oil, for deep-frying; 1½ tsp (9 g) fine salt

ഏത്തയ്ക്ക ഉപ്പേരി Ethakka UpperiSay it: eh-THAK-kah oop-PEH-ree

By the Passport Plate editors. Published November 7, 2026.

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Upperi is Kerala's beloved banana chip: paper-thin rounds of raw nendran plantain slipped into turmeric water, then deep-fried in coconut oil until they turn pale gold and shatteringly crisp. A pinch of salt is all it needs. You find heaps of it at tea stalls, folded into newspaper cones, and on every banana leaf at an Onam sadya, where it sits among the pickles. It tastes of pure coconut, a faint sweetness from the plantain, and salt — simple, addictive and unmistakably Kerala.

Kerala Banana Chips (Ethakka Upperi)

ഏത്തയ്ക്ക ഉപ്പേരി, Ethakka Upperi

Pronounced eh-THAK-kah oop-PEH-ree

Serves: 4
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 45 min
Level: Easy

Also nut-free and egg-free.

Allergens: none of the major allergens in the listed ingredients. Check labels on packaged ingredients.

Ingredients

4 servings

3 large raw nendran plantains, about 1½ lb (680 g) — or firm unripe green plantains
½ tsp (2 g)2 g (½ tsp) ground turmeric
4 cups (960 ml)960 ml (4 cups) water, for soaking
6 cups (1.4 L)1.4 L (6 cups) coconut oil, for deep-frying
1½ tsp (9 g)9 g (1½ tsp) fine salt

Method

Stir the turmeric into the water in a wide bowl. Peel the plantains, trim both ends, and slice them as thinly as you can — about 1/16 inch (1.5 mm) — straight into the turmeric water, using a mandoline or a very sharp knife.
Leave the slices to soak for 10 minutes; this stops them sticking together and gives the chips their faint golden color. Drain them well in a colander and spread on a clean kitchen towel to dry for a few minutes.
Pour coconut oil to a depth of 2 inches (5 cm) in a deep, heavy pan and heat to 350°F (175°C). It is ready when a single slice dropped in sizzles at once and rises to the surface.
Fry the slices in small batches, 12–15 at a time, nudging them gently with a slotted spoon so they do not clump. They are done in 3–4 minutes, when the fierce bubbling slows and the chips are crisp and pale golden — they darken a little as they cool.
Lift the chips out with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels and sprinkle at once with fine salt while still hot. Let the oil come back to temperature and repeat with the remaining slices.
Cool the chips completely, when they crisp up fully, then store in an airtight jar.

Regional variant: Sharkkara Upperi (sweet jaggery-coated chips)

Fry the chips exactly as above but do not salt them. Boil 1 cup (200 g) grated jaggery with 2 tbsp water until it forms a thin one-string syrup, then stir in a pinch each of ground cardamom, cumin and dried ginger. Toss the fried chips in the syrup off the heat until evenly coated, spread them on a greased tray and leave to cool until the coating sets dull white and crisp.

Cook's notes

Slice the plantains evenly; uneven slices fry at different speeds, so the thin ones burn before the thick ones crisp.
Hold the oil at a steady 350°F (175°C): too cool and the chips drink oil, too hot and they brown before they turn crisp.
Fry in small batches only — crowding the pan drops the temperature and the slices glue together.

Serve with

Hot tea or black coffee; at an Onam sadya it opens the meal beside pickles and avial.

Make ahead and storage

Keeps 2–3 weeks in an airtight jar at room temperature; refresh softened chips in a dry pan over low heat for a minute.

Kerala Banana Chips (Ethakka Upperi)