Taler Bora is one of those homely Bengali sweets that always remind me of Janmashtami. The unique flavor of this seasonal confectionery is something that brings out the true essence of ripe palm fruit, and for me, its quaint charm adds to the festivity of the occasion. It is a treat to savor the sweetness of palm fruit, which is only available for a short while in a year.
Quick Facts:
- Taler Bora, also known as Sugar Palm Fritters, is a popular Bengali sweet delicacy made during Janmashtami or other special occasions.
- It tastes sweet.
- These fritters have a tempting appearance with a golden-brown fried texture.
- I need 30 minutes to make the preparation, and 10 more minutes to cook this sweet dish; – that is 40 minutes in total.
- Taler Bora is typically enjoyed on its own, but it pairs well with Taler Kheer (rice pudding made with sugar palm fruit) or can be enjoyed without any dips.
- Other similar recipes are taler patishapta, taler malpoa, taler luchi, kolar bora, and narkeler bora.
The Ingredients:
- Tal (Asian palm fruit) – 1 piece
- Rice Flour – 4.5 cups
- Maida – 2 cups
- Semolina or suji – 1 cup
- Sugar – 300 gm
- Coconut – 1 (fully grated)
- Milk – One glass
- Refined Oil – as much as required for frying
How to Make Taler Bora (Step by Step Images)?
1. Extraction of Pulp of Tal (Sugar Palm Fruit)
Wash the Tal and then remove the skin and the crown. Separate the kernels by gently pulling out the brown skin. Generally, Tal has 2 to 3 kernels. Keep it aside in a bowl.
Squash the kernels with milk (please do not use water as it will make the taste bitter). Massage the kernels with milk, and be mindful that this step can be very messy and it needs patience.
Now you need to rub the kernels against the sieve and extract all the pulp slowly from the Tal. You need to rub it with patience. You can check out that the extracts of the soft pulp are coming out in the bowl.
2. Prepare the Taler Batter
Mix the pulp with the rice flour, maida, suji, sugar, grated coconut and milk. Keep the batter aside.
(Pro tip: Mix the ingredients thoroughly at this stage. The better the mixing is, the fluffier the fritters will be).
3. Fry the Taler Bora or Sugar Palm Fritters
Put as much oil as needed in the pan for deep frying. Heat it. Make small dumpling-sized fritters and put them gently into the hot oil.
Fry till they are golden brown.
Strain and keep them over paper to soak the oil. Cool them, and your sweet taler bora is ready.
Be Creative
- For a richer version, I sometimes use thickened milk instead of regular milk.
- In special situations, when I want to serve Taler Bora with Taler Kheer, I make them smaller in size so that the serving proportions are not lopsided.
- I have discovered that using some of the grated coconut in a more coarsely grated form gives the fritters a different texture than using all fine grated coconut.
- When making them for a family get-together, I sometimes soak them in sugar syrup for a much unique taste.
Taler Bora Recipe Problem Solvers
Q: How can I avoid wasting palm pulp during Step 1?
A: Gently massage the kernels and scrape the pulp from the sieve.
Q: What should I do if there are fibrous bits in the pulp?
A: I would strain the pulp mixture again in Step 1 until there are no fibrous bits left so that they do not adversely affect the eating experience.
Q: Why am I getting lumps of the flour while preparing the mixture in Step 2?
A: Add the various flours into the mix and keep on stirring until they are well incorporated into the batter.
Q: Can I prepare the batter without grated coconut?
A: Yes, you can, but then the batter will not have the same taste and consistency as it would have if you had added the grated coconut in Step 2.
Q: My batter is watery. What can I do in Step 2 to avoid it?
A: I would allow the batter to sit for a moment so that the semolina can soak up some of the juice and then mix again thoroughly. I would repeat this process a couple of times, if needed.
Q: How can I prevent the fritters from breaking up when I add them to the oil?
A: In Step 3, you should lower the fritters gently into the oil rather than dropping them. Also turn them gently after some time.
Q: Should I remove the fritters in Step 3 if the color looks good?
A: No. First flip open one of the fritters to see if the inside is also cooked to perfection. Just because the outside is the desired color does not mean that the inside is also done.
Recipe Card
Taler Bora (Sugar Palm Fritters)
Ingredients
- Tal Asian palm fruit – 1 piece
- Rice Flour – 4.5 cups
- Maida – 2 cups
- Semolina or suji – 1 cup
- Sugar – 300 gm
- Coconut – 1 fully grated
- Milk – One glass
- Refined Oil – as much as required for frying
Instructions
- Extraction of Pulp of Tal (Sugar Palm Fruit)
- Wash the Tal and then remove the skin and the crown. Separate the kernels by gently pulling out the brown skin. Generally, Tal has 2 to 3 kernels. Keep it aside in a bowl.
- Squash the kernels with milk (please do not use water as it will make the taste bitter). Massage the kernels with milk, and be mindful that this step can be very messy and it needs patience.
- Now you need to rub the kernels against the sieve and extract all the pulp slowly from the Tal. You can check out that the extracts of the soft pulp are coming out in the bowl.
- Prepare the Taler Batter
- Mix the pulp with the rice flour, maida, suji, sugar, grated coconut and milk. Keep the batter aside. (Pro tip: Mix the ingredients thoroughly at this stage. The better the mixing is, the fluffier the fritters will be).
- Fry the Taler Bora or Sugar Palm Fritters
- Put as much oil as needed in the pan for deep frying. Heat it. Make small dumpling-sized fritters and put them gently into the hot oil.
- Fry till they are golden brown.
- Strain and keep them over paper to soak the oil. Cool them, and your sweet taler bora is ready.
