Kele ka Kofta recipe with step by step photos. Also referred to as Banana Kofta, these are crisp, spiced pan fried patties made with raw unripe green bananas or plantains. All you need are a few plantains, some Indian spices, herbs and a binding flour to make these tasty kofta.
About Kela Ka Kofta
Banana or plantain is called ‘Kela’ (singular) or “Kele” (plural) in Hindi. Kofta are fried patties or dumplings that are made with various vegetables or fruits; here in this case plantains and hence the name of this recipe.
This particular Banana Kofta recipe can be made during the Hindu fasting days like Navratri and also during regular days. The recipe makes for a snack and does not have a gravy or curry with it.
So when Navratri begins, you can opt to make this recipe. I have shared a few more fasting recipes earlier. I always celebrate Navratri with a lot of zest, strength and devotion. This is one festival that is close to me for spiritual reasons.
Now moving onto the recipe, These Kele ke Kofte make for a nice brunch or snack. Minimal spices are used in this one.
What stands out is the taste and texture of the bananas in the koftas. While the outsides are crisp, the insides have the firm and smooth texture of cooked plantains.
Serve the Banana kofta with coconut chutney, homemade tomato ketchup made without preservatives or coriander or mint chutney or any of your preferred dips.
How to make Kela ka Kofta
1. First rinse 3 medium to large raw unripe bananas or plantains with water. Place them in a 2 litre stovetop pressure cooker. Add 1.5 cups water.
You can also halve them and add to the cooker along with water. The plantains can also be steamed or boiled in a pan or in the Instant Pot adding water as needed.
2. Pressure cook on medium heat for 3 whistles or till the bananas have complete softened.
Let the pressure drop on its own in the cooker. Then only open the lid. Drain the water and set aside the cooked plantains to cool.
3. Once they become warm, peel them and place in a mixing bowl.
4. Mash them with a potato masher or with a fork. Mash very well.
5. Then add the following ingredients:
- 10 cashews (finely chopped) or 14 to 16 roasted peanuts (coarsely crushed)
- ½ teaspoon finely chopped ginger
- 1 green chili (finely chopped) or ½ teaspoon, finely chopped
- ½ to 1 teaspoon freshly crushed black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped mint leaves
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot flour or water chestnut flour or buckwheat flour or amaranth flour
- edible rock salt (sendha namak), as required
I have used arrowroot flour. Also if you use red chili powder in fasting, then instead of green chilies, you can add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of red chili powder.
6. Mix very well. The kofta mixture should look like the one in the photo below.
If the mixture looks sticky or wet, then add some more of the arrowroot flour or water chestnut flour or buckwheat flour or amaranth flour.
Make Banana Kofta
7. Now take equal portions from the mixture and shape them into patties. You can spread some oil on your palms while shaping them.
8. Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in a flat pan or skillet. When the oil becomes hot, place the koftas.
9. When the base is cooked and becomes light golden, turn over and fry the other side.
10. Flip for a couple of times more and pan fry the banana koftas till they become golden and crisp.
11. Then place the fried koftas on kitchen paper towels to remove excess oil.
12. Serve Kela Kofta with coconut chutney, homemade tomato ketchup made without preservatives or coriander or mint chutney.
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Kele ka Kofta | Banana Kofta
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
Instructions
Preparing banana kofta mixture
- First rinse the plantains in water a few times.
- 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.
- Pressure cook on medium heat for 3 whistles or till the bananas have complete softened.
- Let the pressure drop naturally in the cooker, then only open the lid. Drain the water and set aside the cooked plantains to cool.
- Once they become warm, peel them and place in a mixing bowl.
- Mash them with a potato masher or with a fork. Mash very well.
- Then add all of the other ingredients, except oil. Mix very well.
- Now take equal portions from the mixture and shape them into patties.
Making kela ka kofta
- Heat peanut oil in a flat pan or skillet. When the oil becomes hot, place the koftas.
- When the base is cooked and becomes light golden, turn over and fry the other side.
- Flip for a couple of times more and pan fry the koftas till they become golden and crispy.
- Then place the fried koftas on kitchen paper towels.
- Serve Banana Kofta with coconut chutney or coriander chutney or mint chutney.
Notes
- Use only unripe bananas or plantains to make this recipe.
- Feel free to adjust the spices and seasonings according to your preferences.
- When making the banana kofta as a snack on regular days, you could use rice flour or cornstarch or bread crumbs to bind the kofta mixture instead of arrowroot flour.
- You can also bake or air-fry these koftas.
- The recipe can be scaled to make for more servings.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Kele ke Kofte recipe from the archives, originally published in October 2015 has been updated and republished on January 2023.
Raw banana kofta recipe is very interesting. I will make this surely
thanks.
Hi..i want to try this recipe..but i don’t have any of these flour..can i use rice flour?
you can use rice flour.
Can you make this using wheat flour used for making chapati….I’m not a great cook still a work in progress and your recipes are just brilliant. ..thank you so much for the effort you put into blogging each one of them. ..God bless!
thanks a lot susan for these words. you could use wheat flour. in fact you can even use rice flour or gram flour (besan).
Hello
What odr things cud we add if v r making for people who are not fasting
you can add garam masala powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, ginger-garlic paste.
Excellent recipe. Thanks
welcome 🙂
Excellent recipe. Your website is very good and the recipes have wide variety and taste.
thanks again gooloo 🙂
What is the best alternative of arrow root flour in this recipe?as I am not aware of this flour.
for navratri fasting, you can add water chest nut flour. if not making for fasting, then you can add corn starch or rice flour.
Super recipe for fasting….really ur recipes are awesome and those step by step pics and instructions makes more easy for us….I always follow ur recipes….
thanks a lot.
Hello Mam,
I am huge fan of ur site.. this is so nice & interesting as you post ur recipes with pics. That’s the easiest way to learn something. I made many recipes like cakes, dosa, kheer etc. using ur recipes. All turn out awesommmeeeee!!!!!!
thank you so much for your culinary support. As for this recipe, i am gonna try this in coming days…n m sure it will also be amazing!!!!
Thanks again.
Anupam
we are pleased to know anupam 🙂 thankyou for your kind and positive feedback. you are always welcome.
Dear Dasanna, xlnt recipe. I did use ordinary salt and it did turn out very very well. Please do let me know what is rock salt, kala namak, sea salt and crystal salt. I seem to have only black salt or kala namak with me.
Had guests and they enjoyed too. God bless you. DK
thanks durga ji. rock salt is sendha namak. kala namak is black salt. kala namak comes from volcanic deposits and it has that that peculiar sulphurish aroma and flavor. rock salt comes from salt deposits which are above or under the ground. sea salt comes from the sea. i am not sure what is crystal salt, as salt in general are crystals 🙂