Banana Puffs (Ethapazham / Nenthrapazham Puffs)

     You all might have tried chicken, veg, egg and meat puffs. How about trying a different one??"Banana Puffs" - A sweet parcel packed with flavors...!!! an experiment that turned out to be a success. Puff pastry sheets are stuffed with a filling made using ripened banana (popularly known as "Ethapazham" or " Nendrapazham" in Kerala), grated coconut , ghee roasted cashews and raisins ,a pinch of cardamom powder and baked to perfection. This was a hit among many of my friends. Everyone who tasted this asked me about the recipe...😊So thought of sharing it with you...!! The sweetness of banana, the crunchiness  of cashew and the aroma of cardamom gives a distinct and unique flavor to this puffs which you will love for ...... !!!

Ingredients

• Ripe Banana (Ethapazham  / Nenthrapazham) - 2 large or 3 medium
• Grated Coconut - 1/2  cup
• Sugar - 2 -3 tbsp
• Ghee - 2 tbsp
• Cashews  - 10 nos
• Raisins -  10 nos
• Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Puff Pastry Sheet 

Method

1. Cut banana  to small squares and  chop cashew nuts, raisins into small pieces.
2. In a heated pan add ghee and fry cashews, raisins till light brown and keep aside.
3. To the same pan add grated coconut and saute for 2 mins and keep aside. This is done to reduce the moisture content of coconut.
4. In the same pan add cubed banana pieces and saute for 2-3 mins till it turns slightly golden.
5. Add  grated coconut, fried cashew nuts, raisins, sugar and cardamom powder and gently mix.This is the "filling".
6. Allow the mixture to cool completely before filling inside the puff pastry sheets.
7. Take the puff pastry sheet and place required amount of "filling" inside it.
8. Fold the puff pastry sheet according to your desired shape.(You can use the tip of a fork to create designs).
9. Place  all the puffs on a lightly greased baking pan.
10. Preheat the oven to 400F.
11. Bake for 12- 15 minutes till the  puffs turns golden brown.Take out from oven and serve hot.

Notes

1. Thaw the puff pastry sheets at least 20 minutes before you prepare puffs.
2. The baking time varies and depends upon the type  puff pastry sheets used and the oven.Generally it takes around 10 to 15 minutes.
3. If you are buying the puff pastry sheet roll, cut into desired size ,gently roll and use.
4. Allow the filling to cool completely before stuffing on the pastry sheet.