Beer-battered bananas with fresh honeycomb & pandan ice cream

In South-East Asia, where this dessert is really popular, pandan leaves are often used to sweeten desserts and drinks. Once tasted, their delicious flavour is never forgotten. If you can’t find leaves, use pandan extract from good Asian grocers. Look for fresh honeycomb in fine food and health food stores.

Serves 4

vegetable oil, for deep-frying

3 bananas, peeled and cut into quarters

white rice flour, for dusting

1 teaspoon sea salt

3 tablespoons honeycomb, or good-quality honey

icing (confectioner’s) sugar, for dusting

PANDAN ICE CREAM

500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) milk

300 ml (10½ fl oz) pouring (single) cream

2 pandan leaves

2 vanilla beans, cut in half lengthways, seeds scraped

225 g (8 oz/1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar

70 g (2½ oz) lightly whisked egg yolks (about 3–4 egg yolks)

BEER BATTER

330 ml (11¼ fl oz) lager

1 teaspoon dried yeast

100 g (3½ oz/²/₃ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour

100 g (3½ oz/²/₃ cup) white rice flour

FOR THE ICE CREAM Place the milk, cream, pandan leaves, vanilla beans and seeds and half the sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

In a bowl, mix the egg yolks and remaining sugar. Slowly add the warm milk mixture, stirring constantly.

Pour the mixture into a clean saucepan. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until the temperature reaches 75ºC (167ºF). Strain the mixture into a clean container and refrigerate for 3–4 hours.

Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and churn until just set. Freeze in an airtight container.

FOR THE BEER BATTER Combine the beer and yeast in a small saucepan and warm to body temperature over medium heat. Transfer to a large bowl, whisk in the flours and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a cloth and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes.

TO COOK THE BANANAS Two-thirds fill a deep-fryer or large heavy-based saucepan with vegetable oil. Heat to 170ºC (325ºF), or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil turns golden brown in 20 seconds.

Sprinkle the bananas with white rice flour, dusting off any excess. Dip the bananas in the beer batter to lightly coat. Working in two or three batches, slowly lower the bananas into the hot oil, avoiding splashes. Cook for 4–5 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towel.

TO SERVE Place the warm bananas on a serving plate and season with the salt. Top with the honeycomb, dust with icing sugar and serve with pandan ice cream.