Kolar bora recipe | Paka kolar bora | Kolar pitha | Banana coconut fritters

Kolar bora recipe aka kolar pitha is one of the easiest and reasonable Bengali pitha recipes which is frequently prepared in almost every Bengali house throughout the year, other than the festivals like makar Sankranti, Janmashtami etc. It has got the perfect outer crisp and is tender from centre with sweet taste and the amazing flavour of banana and coconut. In this preparation, a batter is prepared with ripe banana, shredded coconut, rice flour, all-purpose flour, semolina and sugar and then small portions of it are deep fried till golden brown in colour. It is mostly served as evening snacks with tea, but it can be relished at any time of the day whenever hunger calls.

About the recipe
Health Benefits of Banana
Tips and Suggestions
How to make Kolar Bora (step wise photos)
Recipe Card

Paka kolar bora is a pure Bengali delicacy and is hugely popular in Bangladesh and West Bengal. Though it is also known as kolar pitha but it is more popular as deep fried evening snacks than pitha recipe. In Bengali houses, homemakers don’t wait for any event or Sankranti to prepare this delight. Whenever they have some extra ripe bananas, they immediately use them to prepare kolar bora recipe.

These paka kolar bora are sweet banana fritters which are crispy from outside and tender from the centre with the bite of coconut. These banana fritters are highly customizable and can be prepared according to your own preferred texture, taste and flavour.

So next time, if you have excess bananas which are getting extra ripe with brown spots at your kitchen counter then don’t think to eat excess of them forcefully or make your kids eat like that. Please do not even throw them. Try this authentic Bengali delight at least once. I can bet you cannot stop at one.

According to me, kolar bora recipe is one of the best ways to make fussy kids eat banana without any complaint. Whether its kids or aged, everyone just loves these comforting banana fritters. As it is a deep-fried stuff, so I cannot consider it as a healthy snack recipe.

Bengalis have an eternal bonding with Tele bhaja, I mean deep fried stuffs whether its sweet or savoury does not matter. Every bong is always ready to cheat on their diet for these tasty delights and kolar bora recipe is one of them.

My husband has got sweet tooth and kolar bora recipe is one of his favourites. So, I usually prepare it at least for 5-6 times in a year. But during the COVID-19 situation, when we stopped ordering food, sweets and snacks from outside, this paka kolar bora worked as a boon when we crave for something sweet.

Whenever I prepare paka kolar bora, I usually serve it as an evening sweet snacks with a cup of tea but cannot not resist my kid and husband to grab some warm fritters during the time of frying them.

Kolar bora recipe aka kolar pitha is the easiest Bengali pitha recipe which is perfect for a novice. In fact, it could be the best recipe to begin the journey to prepare bengali pithe. It gets prepared very easily without investing much time and effort. In fact, it requires only few basic ingredients which are easily available in any Bengali kitchen pantry. The best part of the recipe is that it can be prepared in huge batches without investing any extra effort.

Kolar bora recipe with step by step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instruction’ section of the recipe. I have included all the tips and tricks to prepare perfect paka kolar bora. But before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share few interesting facts about the recipe and the hero ingredient of the recipe ‘banana’.

• Bananas are rich in fibre which keep our stomach full for a long while.
• They are good for our heart and helps us to get rid of many heart diseases.
• Bananas are excellent source of nutrients which contain potassium, calcium, iron, manganese, folate and many more.
• They are good for anaemia patients.

• You can use any variety of ripe banana for the recipe but extra ripe bananas with some brown spots on the body work best for the recipe.
• Follow the measurement for perfect result. You can double or triple the quantity if you want to prepare in large batches.
• Whisk the batter thoroughly to make it airy during the time of preparing it. The more you whisk the batter, the more kola pitha will puff up during the time of frying.
• Cover the kolar bora batter and allow it to rest for at least 20 minutes before frying.
• Always fry the kola pitha on medium to medium low flame. Don’t fry it on lowest or highest flame.
• Always whisk the batter once before pouring it into the hot oil for frying.
• Addition of shredded coconut induces nice flavour and bite to the fritters.
• Rice flour helps to develop the outer crisp of the fritters.
• For healthier version, you can replace the all-purpose flour aka maida with whole wheat flour aka atta.

Though kolar bora is a signature dish but still in every house it is prepared with different combination and proportion of ingredients.

• Many people use jaggery as sweetener whereas many others use sugar. The choice is completely up to you. The addition of jaggery gives darker shade to the banana fritters.
• Many use coconut into the kolar bora batter and many others totally skip it. If you like strong banana flavour, then you can skip it.
• Many uses flavouring agents like cardamom, nutmeg etc. But if you prefer the flavour of banana in kolar bora recipe like me, then skip it.
• For kolar pitha, many people use only rice flour for the batter. But after becoming cold the fritters may get hard.
• People who love the tender version of kolar bora prepare the batter using all-purpose flour and semolina.
• If you like you can add dry fruits of your choice into the batter for richer version.

To prepare the kolar bora recipe, first take a large mixing bowl and add two ripe peeled bananas into it. Mash the bananas with a fork and add sugar into it. Mix the content thoroughly so that the sugar dissolves completely.

Then add semolina, rice flour and all-purpose flour, one by one into the bowl and make a lump free, thick but with dropping consistency batter. Whisk the batter thoroughly in circular motion for at least 4-5 minutes. Then add shredded coconut, salt into the batter and fold it gently into it. Cover the bowl and allow it to rest for 20 minutes.

After the resting time, whisk the batter once again for half minute.

Put a pan on flame and add enough oil to deep fry the kolar bora. Once the oil is hot, drop a small portion of the batter to check the temperature of the oil. It the batter floats then it’s perfect to fry the kola pitha.

Pour the batter into small portions with hand or with spoon into the oil and deep fry them over medium flame till golden brown. Don’t over crowd the pan. Drain the excess oil and transfer them on a tissue lined plate for a minute to absorb excess oil. Repeat the process and fry bora or fritters with rest of the batter.

Many Bengali pithe puli recipes have already shared in my previous post. You may like few of them.

Poa pitha
Patishapta pitha
Rosh bora

..And Many more…

1 cup = 250 ml

• 2 large ripe Bananas
• ¾ cup Coconut
• ½ cup Sugar or according to taste
• ¾ cup all-purpose Flour (Maida)
• 2 tablespoons Rice flour
• 2 tablespoons Semolina (Rava)
• ¼ teaspoon Salt
• Oil to deep fry the fritters

1. First take a large mixing bowl and add two ripe peeled bananas into it. Mash the bananas with a fork.
2. Add ½ cup sugar into it and mix the content thoroughly so the sugar gets dissolved.
3. Add 2 tablespoons semolina, 2 tablespoons rice flour and ¾ cup all-purpose flour, one by one into the bowl and make a lumps free thick batter with dropping consistency.
4. Whisk the batter thoroughly in circular motion for at least 4-5 minutes with a whisker, fork or hand.
5. Add shredded coconut into the batter and fold it gently into it. Cover the bowl and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. After the resting time, whisk the batter once again for half minute.
6. Put a pan on medium flame and add enough oil to deep fry the kolar bora. Once the oil is hot, drop a small portion of the batter to check the temperature of the oil. It the batter floats then it’s perfect to fry the kola pitha.
7. Pour the batter into small portions with hand or with spoon into the oil and deep fry them over medium flame till golden brown. Don’t over crowd the pan.
8. Drain the excess oil and transfer them on a tissue lined plate for a minute to absorb excess oil. Repeat the process and fry bora or fritters with rest of the batter.

Transfer the kolar bora recipe on a serving plate. Serve this delectable banana fritters as companion with a cup of tea and enjoy the Bengali delicacy.

It is always better to have it within 24 hours after cooling down. You can store it in an airtight container for 3 days in a cool dry place or refrigerate it for 1 week.

Kolar bora recipe | Paka kolar bora | Kolar pitha | Banana coconut fritters

Serves: 40 pieces Prep Time: 5 minutes (Excluding resting time of the batter) Cooking Time: 25 minutes 25 minutes

Nutrition facts: NA calories NA fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

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Ingredients

1 cup = 250 ml

• 2 large ripe Bananas
• ¾ cup Coconut
• ½ cup Sugar or according to taste
• ¾ cup all-purpose Flour (Maida)
• 2 tablespoons Rice flour
• 2 tablespoons Semolina (Rava)
• ¼ teaspoon Salt
• Oil to deep fry the fritters

Instructions

1. First take a large mixing bowl and add two ripe peeled bananas into it. Mash the bananas with a fork.
2. Add ½ cup sugar into it and mix the content thoroughly so the sugar gets dissolved.
3. Add 2 tablespoons semolina, 2 tablespoons rice flour and ¾ cup all-purpose flour, one by one into the bowl and make a lumps free thick batter with dropping consistency.
4. Whisk the batter thoroughly in circular motion for at least 4-5 minutes with a whisker, fork or hand.
5. Add shredded coconut into the batter and fold it gently into it. Cover the bowl and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. After the resting time, whisk the batter once again for half minute.
6. Put a pan on medium flame and add enough oil to deep fry the kolar bora. Once the oil is hot, drop a small portion of the batter to check the temperature of the oil. It the batter floats then it’s perfect to fry the kola pitha.
7. Pour the batter into small portions with hand or with spoon into the oil and deep fry them over medium flame till golden brown. Don’t over crowd the pan.
8. Drain the excess oil and transfer them on a tissue lined plate for a minute to absorb excess oil. Repeat the process and fry bora or fritters with rest of the batter.