Gulgulas (Indian Banana Fritters)

Gather the ingredients.

In a large bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, sugar, fennel seeds, egg, vanilla essence, cinnamon, and milk. Stir to blend everything well, making sure the sugar dissolves completely.

Mix together the whole-wheat flour and baking powder in a separate bowl.

Using a whisk, slowly and a little at a time, add the flour to the wet ingredients. Mix well to ensure there are no lumps or as few as you can manage. You want to end up with a batter that is really thick. You might need a little more flour to achieve this consistency.

Heat the cooking oil in a frying pan on medium heat. You will know the oil is heated to the temperature you need to deep-fry the gulgulas when you drop a tiny bit of batter into it and the batter floats up to the surface but does not change color yet.

When the oil is ready, use a tablespoon to scoop up and drop a spoonful of batter into the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan as the gulgulas will stick to each other and get damaged.

Use a slotted spoon to turn the fritters every now and then. Fry until they are golden all over. Then drain using a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper towel to remove most of the oil. Serve while still hot with a steaming cup of masala chai.