I am assured that this is an authentic Far Eastern recipe – especially favoured by Thai street food sellers, vending fried bananas in particular – but other stuff is available.

If you have ever eaten at one of the street stalls, you may wonder how they manage to get their batter so crispy – and have it stay that way for quite a long time – here’s how…

You will need:

• Fruit, or other stuffs for frying
• Large pan of hot oil
• Small bottle of fresh mineral water (350 – 500 ml should do it), in a plastic bottle

Preparation:

• Skin or clean your fruit and make sure it is dry – place to one side
• Heat the oil to about 180 deg C
• Open your bottle of mineral water and either drink the contents or throw it away
• Dry the bottle and shake out as much water as possible
• Make a hole in the bottom of the bottle
• Now, carefully and slowly lower the bottle into the hot oil – until it melts/ dissolves
• Pop your fruit in and fry away…
• When brown remove from the oil and serve: lovely and crispy

Don’t try this at home…