Thai Banana Roti (Banana Pancakes)

Ever since I was little, I have loved this Thai dessert. It’s made of a thin dough wrapped around bananas and seared to form a crispy pocket. It’s then covered in condensed milk to create the most perfect banana snack.

Although this is a Thai dessert, it is super common at Taiwanese night markets. If you’ve seen my “Kenting Night Market” vlogs, you would know how obsessed I am with these. It’s pretty simple to make and trust me, it’s so worth it.

Click HERE to see the recipe video!

Yield: 12 Portions

INGREDIENTS:

DOUGH-

• 260ml Water
• 2tbsp Sugar (any sweetener will work)
• 1 Large Egg
• 50g Salted Butter, melted
• 500g Plain/AP Flour (And a bit more for kneading)

OTHER-

• Bananas (Just ripe or a bit under-ripe is perfect)
• Vegetable Oil
• Salted Butter for frying
• Condensed Milk

STEPS:

DOUGH-

1. In a large bowl, whisk together water, sugar, and egg
2. Gradually whisk in the melted butter
3. Add flour and fold everything together with a spatula. You should get a very sticky dough
4. Using a mixer or your hands, knead the dough for about 20min. This will help develop the gluten in the dough and turn a shaggy dough into a smooth and less sticky dough. If you still find the dough incredibly sticky, add a little bit more flour, but ONLY A LITTLE! Knead it as best as you can, and don’t worry too much
5. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape them into balls
6. Drizzle a heavy pour of vegetable oil over the dough. Using your hands or a brush, spread the oil out to cover every single dough ball
7. Transfer them onto a plate, cover them with a piece of clingfilm, and leave them in the fridge to rest for 2hr

ASSEMBLE-

1. Peel and cut bananas into 1cm-1.5cm thick slices
2. Prep a large, flat pan on the stove with a thin layer of vegetable oil and keep it on low heat
3. Grab a cold dough ball and place it onto a lightly oiled surface. Press the dough as flat as possible
4. Grab the edge of the dough and slowly lift and pull. By slowly stretching it out, the dough will become very thin. Almost translucent
5. Carefully transfer the dough onto the pan. Use a spoon or spatula to flatten any areas that have crimpled up. Gently cut off any bit of the dough that has accidentally bundled together and gotten too thick.
6. Place the bananas in the middle of the dough, and arrange them tightly in a square. Fold the sides of the dough over the bananas to make a square roti pocket
7. Bring the heat up to sear both sides until golden. Then drop a nob of butter into the pan so that it can get crispy and buttery
8. Once both sides are golden, transfer it onto a cutting board. Cut it up into smaller squares and serve with a heavy drizzle of condensed milk
9. Enjoy while they are still warm for the best experience!

IT’S NOT WORKING:

• STORAGE: This recipe will give you 12 dough balls, but you can leave them covered, in the fridge, for up to 3 days. As long as they have been covered with oil and tightly wrapped, they will remain the same consistency. So when you want one, just grab a cold dough ball and proceed with the steps under ASSEMBLE.
• HOW MANY BANANAS? If you have an average-sized banana, you’ll need about 2 bananas for every 3 roti.
• THE HEAT OF THE PAN: Keep the pan on low heat when you are assembling because if the dough cooks too quickly, it will not want to wrap around the bananas. Feel free to bring the heat up once it’s in the right shape to get that crispy layer.
• WHY VEGETABLE OIL THEN BUTTER? If you fry the roti with just butter, it will burn the butter before you get a crispy dough. If you only use vegetable oil, you won’t get any butter flavor. So you need both.
• RIPENESS OF BANANAS: Avoid using over-ripe bananas because it will continue to soften on the pan.