Kele ka Kofta are crispy, spiced pan fried patties made with raw green unripe bananas or plantains, spices, herbs and a binding flour. A special snack that you can make during the Navratri fasting period or on any other regular day.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Snacks
  • Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients

  • 400 grams plantain (or 3 medium to large raw unripe bananas)
  • 1.5 cups water (- for pressure cooking)
  • 10 cashews ((chopped) or 14 to 16 roasted peanuts - coarsely crushed)
  • ½ inch ginger (peeled & finely chopped or ½ teaspoon finely chopped ginger)
  • 1 green chili (- finely chopped or ½ teaspoon)
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon freshly crushed black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1 teaspoon mint leaves (- finely chopped)
  • 2 tablespoon arrowroot flour (or water chestnut flour or buckwheat flour or amaranth flour)
  • rock salt ((edible and food grade) as required)
  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil (or ghee for pan frying)

Method

Preparing banana kofta mixture

  1. First rinse the plantains in water a few times.
  2. Take the unripe bananas or plantains in a 2 litre stovetop pressure cooker. Add 1.5 cups water. You can also halve the plantains and then add them to the cooker.
  3. Pressure cook on medium heat for 3 whistles or till the bananas have complete softened.
  4. Let the pressure drop naturally in the cooker, then only open the lid. Drain the water and set aside the cooked plantains to cool.
  5. Once they become warm, peel them and place in a mixing bowl.
  6. Mash them with a potato masher or with a fork. Mash very well.
  7. Then add all of the other ingredients, except oil. Mix very well.
  8. Now take equal portions from the mixture and shape them into patties.

Making kela ka kofta

  1. Heat peanut oil in a flat pan or skillet. When the oil becomes hot, place the koftas.
  2. When the base is cooked and becomes light golden, turn over and fry the other side.
  3. Flip for a couple of times more and pan fry the koftas till they become golden and crispy.
  4. Then place the fried koftas on kitchen paper towels.
  5. Serve Banana Kofta with coconut chutney or coriander chutney or mint chutney.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.