Wagamama, the almost cult-popular British-Japanese restaurant chain, recently opened its first U.S. branch in Boston.
Deep-fried bananas are one of many tasty Wagamama offerings.
BANANA KATSU
Start to finish: 20 minutes
Servings: 2
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
2 large bananas, peeled
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Powdered sugar
4 scoops vanilla ice cream
Red currants (optional)
Sprigs of fresh mint (optional)
Place the flour in a bowl, the beaten egg in another and the bread crumbs in a third.
One at a time, dip the bananas first in the flour, then the egg, and finally dredge through the bread crumbs until evenly coated.
Add about 2 inches of oil to a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high until the oil reaches 350 F, or a cube of bread added to the oil browns in 30 seconds.
Add the bananas and fry 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon the remove the bananas from the oil and set aside on paper towels to absorb excess oil. Dust the bananas with powdered sugar.
Place each banana on a serving plate. Add two scoops of ice cream and, if desired, garnish with currants and fresh mint. — Recipe from Hugo Arnold's "The Wagamama Cookbook," Kyle Books, 2007, $24.95