Plantain fritters - Vaazhakkai bajji

I hope everyone has a dandy day and I want to wish everyone a Happy Pongal! I saw this recipe for vaazhakkai bajji posted on Tasty Appetite sometime back and the bajjis have been haunting me in my dreams, literally everyday since I saw them. Plaintains are a popular commodity at our home. As a matter of fact, ever since I told my family that I am going to make vaazhakkai bajji (which was about a week ago), every time I go into the kitchen to prepare something, they come into the kitchen and ask longingly whether I'm going to make bajjis. Today, I finally made them and they came out tasting good. Thank you, Jay, for this wonderful recipe.

Ingredients:
1 plantain (vazhakkai/vaazhakkai)
1 cup chickpea flour (besan/gram flour)
1 1/2 tbs rice flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp chili powder
A pinch of asafoetida
3/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
3/4 cup water
Oil as required to deep-fry

Method:
Wash the ash plantain and peel off the skin. Slice them thinly, lengthwise. Prepare the batter by sieving both flour types. Mix. Add the chili powder, baking soda, asafoetida and salt. Mix. Add the water and mix. The batter should have a thick consistency. Heat some oil in a pan at medium heat. Dip the plantain slices in the batter so that all sides have an even coating and drop the them carefully in the hot oil. The oil should be hot, if it is not hot enough it will absorb more oil and the bajjis wont be crispy. Drop them one by one and fry the bajjis on both sides until crispy. Prepare a plate with tissue or absorbent paper and place the fried bajjis on the plate to drain them of excess oil. Serve them crispy as a side-dish or as a snack with chutneys.