Kolar Boda Bengali Style Banana Fritters Playful Cooking

What is Kolar Boda?

Kolar Boda is eggless banana fritters! Overripe bananas that are mashed, flavored with roasted fennel seeds, some semolina for the crunch and milk to bring it all together. Deep fried to golden light fritters, that are so good with tea. We barely reach the situation of having overripe bananas because that’s one fruit I often use in my morning smoothies. It also happens to be Avyan’s favorite fruit, just before bedtime! So, at times, I purposely let a couple of bananas go unnoticed for a few days because we do a love a sweet banana treat, be it cake or fritters.

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I grew up eating these fritters a lot, especially on rainy days. Nothing beats crispy fritters during monsoon season in India. It makes a great after-school snack too. Every time I visit home, irrespective of what season it is, Baba (yes, my Dad is also quite the cook) prepares these for me. I always end up eating more than I should. Such a simple treat, these fritters. It doesn’t have the most amazing visual appearance, but sure does manage to make you go for more. There are so many such simple meals in Bengali cuisine that make it a very challenging task for a food stylist or a photographer, but the taste will leave you sated.

How to make Kolar Boda?

Bengali Style Banana Fritters are a quick one-bowl mix recipe. Make sure you use over ripe banana for the best flavor and taste. All the ingredients just goes in and mix around with a fork. I feel using a fork makes the batter fluffy and smooth.

Ingredients that go in Kolar Boda!

Over-ripe Bananas: Quick kitchen tip - Keep the Banana in the freezer overnight for quick softening and ripening. Flour: Combination of whole wheat flour with rice flour and corn flour created a perfect crispy texture. Semolina: Use fine semolina, roasted or un-roasted for the extra crunchy bite. A very little quantity of semolina goes in, and it can easily be avoided. Do substitute with rice flour if you don’t have semolina at home. Baking soda: A very tiny amount of baking soda bakes a huge difference to the texture of the kolar boda. It will puff up beautifully and turn out airy in the center. Milk: Milk is not always added. If the texture of the banana is extremely soft, you wouldn’t need to add milk at all. I used cow’s milk, but you can use almond or soy milk too! Fennel Seeds: Fennel seeds are often used in Bengali sweet treats. It’s added a beautiful aroma and a sweet crunch in between. Avoid using store bough fennel powder, as that will blend with the batter. You want the texture to be coarsely ground.

Can you make the batter in advance?

Sadly no! Banana contains polyphenol oxidase and other iron, which when exposed to air reacts and gets oxidized. In other words, turn brown. Not very appealing at all. Hence, make the batter fresh and enjoy the warm fritters fresh.

Few Other keynotes:

These Bengali Style Banana Fritters can be uplifted by adding grated coconut or ground nuts and even jaggery. I like to keep these fritters very light and avoid these extra ingredients, just so it can stay light and airy. There is no sugar added because I prefer the natural sweetness of the banana, but you can add a little brown sugar or jaggery for extra sweetness. Kolar Boda tastes best when made fresh. So make in small batches and enjoy it warm.