Deep Fried Banana Fritters with Ginger Coconut Mascarpone Sauce

1. Ingredients
Yields: 20 fritters
1/4 cup rice flour, freshly ground if possible
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup corn starch, + extra for coating
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon banana extract
1/4 teaspoon imitation rum extract
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-2/3 to 3 cups seltzer water (see tips)
8 ounces crushed ice, (1-1/2 cups)
22 Sweet bananas , ripe but still firm, (peeled)
1 quart peanut oil (or regular vegetable oil), for deep frying, as needed
1/2 cup powdered sugar (optional)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (optional)
2. Directions
For the fritter flour:
Combine all-purpose flour, corn starch, turmeric powder, baking powder, cinnamon powder, 2 teaspoons of sugar and1/ 2 teaspoon of salt. Sift all the dry ingredients.
For the fritter batter:
In a blender, mix 2 bananas with 1 cup of water.
Divide the remaining seltzer water into 2 measuring cups: one with 1-1/3 cups and another with 1/3 cup.
Add 1-1/3 cups of seltzer water and crushed ice to the tempura flour until incorporated. Add the banana extract and rum extract. Do NOT over-mix; it's okay if the batter is still lumpy.
In another bowl, dissolve the rice flour into 1/3 cup of seltzer water.
Combine the three mixtures and stir to even them up. Once more, do NOT over-mix or you won't get an airy result! The consistency of the tempura batter should be similar to pancake batter. Add the remaining seltzer water if necessary (I didn't).
Allow to rest for about an hour.
For the bananas:
If using frozen bananas, slowly thaw them at room temperature.
Place the bananas between 2 pieces of plastic wrap (or parchment paper) like a sandwich. Slightly press on the fruit using a rolling pin to about 1/2 inch.

1. Assembly time:
   Layer a cooling rack, previously lined with paper towelsan, on top of a baking sheet (for easy clean-up of any drained oil).
   In a large Dutch oven (or any regular deep-fryer), heat the oil for about 2 minutes over high heat. There should be at least a 2-inch level of oil. Wait until the oil is slightly bubbly (not too hot).
   Test the oil by dropping a teaspoon of tempura batter into the hot oil. It should float but not swell.
   Dip a pressed banana into the tempura batter to coat completely. Allow the excess batter to drip back into the bowl. Place in the hot oil.
   Fry in batches. Make sure the banana fritters don't touch each other. Lower the heat to medium. Deep fry for 2-3 minutes per batch. The fritters will start to pop and increase in volume. Use a splatter screen to prevent the oil from jumping everywhere. Flip each piece using a spider skimmer and cook for about a minute until golden on all sides. Remove each fritter, draining as much oil as possible and transfer them onto the cooling rack. Repeat until the rest of the bananas are used. (Bring the heat back up before putting in the next batch; put the bananas in the oil before you lower the heat.)
   Serve immediately. You can dust a combination of powdered sugar and Saigonese cinnamon (1/2 cup of powdered sugar for 2 teaspoons of cinnamon) over the fried bananas if you like. I served them with a ginger, coconut and mint mascarpone dip that was to die for (recipe follows).