Taler Bora (Asian Palm Fritters)

I absolutely don't like this sweet dish but it gets welcomed by the other members of the family very ceremoniously. My mother and my mother-in-law will always religiously make different sweet dishes out of this Tal/Asian Palm Fruit during its season. And being a Bengali if I don't blog on it, it would be an injustice to my blog. So today the recipe what I will share with you is my mother-in-law's recipe. I learnt from her, though not tasted it. But I have seen the other members gobbling up in no time. That is enough to tell it tastes too sumptuous.

We Bengali mainly make Taler bora or Tal kheer before Janmashtami. Taler Bora is one of the famous Bengali homemade sweets that the Bengali never failed to make. The Bengali months from Sharbon to Aswin (Apprx July-September) are know as the season of raining Tal /Asian Palm Fruit. More about the fruit:

"The ripened fibrous outer layer of the palm fruits can also be eaten raw, boiled, or roasted. Bengali People have perfected the art of making various sweet dishes with the yellowish viscous fluidic substance obtained from a ripe palm fruit. These include Mustard oil fried Taler Bora (তালের বড়া), or mixed with thickened milk to form Taalkheer (তাল ক্ষীর).

Palm shoot is cut and the juice is traditionally collected in hanging earthen pot. The juice so collected before morning is refreshing and light drink called Thaati Kallu(తాటి కల్లు) in Telugu, Neera (नीरा) in Marathi and "Pathaneer"(பதநீர்) in Tamil has extremely cool in sensation, and sugary sweet taste. The juice collected in evening or after fermentation becomes sour - is called Tadi (ताडी) in Marathi. Tadi is consumed by coastal Maharashtra mostly by villagers as raw alcoholic beverage.

A sugary sap, called toddy, can be obtained from the young inflorescence, either male or female ones. Toddy is fermented to make a beverage called arrack, or it is concentrated to a crude sugar called jaggery or Taal Patali (তাল পাটালী) in Bengali and Pana Vellam or Karuppukatti (கருப்புகட்டி or கருபட்டி) inTamil. It is called Gula Jawa (Javanese sugar) in Indonesia and is widely used in Javanese cuisine. In addition, the tree sap is taken as a laxative, and medicinal values have been ascribed to other parts of the plant." (Source HERE.)

Ingredients:

Tal/Asian Palm Fruit pulp- 2 cups (without water. 1 Tal/Asian Palm is enough)[See Note]

Flour- 1 cup

Suji/ Semolina- 1/2 cup

Sugar- 1 & 1/2 cup

Salt- 1 pinch

Grated Coconut- 1 cup

Kheer- 1/2 cup (Made it condensing 1 & 1/2 cups of milk with 1/4 cup sugar) {See the recipe HERE}

White oil- Sufficient to fry the fritters

Method:

1. Mix all together and rest the mixture for 1 hour.
2. Heat oil in a Kodai or a deep dense Pan. Then make small balls an fry til they turn brown. Soak the excess oil in a kitchen towel/tissue paper and then enjoy.

Note:
These video though in a different language will tell you how to take out the pulp of Tal/Palm Fruit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czq27A5B9qc

This one is the second post of the Blogging Marathon Event of Kolkata Food Bloggers. The Bloggers participating in it:

1. Amrita - Vishal @ http://amritavishal127.blogspot.in/

2. Archita @ http://architashomecooking.blogspot.in/

3. Indrani @ http://riappyayan.blogspot.in/ 

4. Sayantani @ ahomemakersdiary.com