Kele Ki Barfi - Indian Ripe Banana Dessert

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Made with ripe bananas, this Indian dessert is easy to make but requires some refrigeration time. The banana barfi is perfect to prepare a few hours or days in advance.

If you like the taste of bananas and wonder how they could be richer, try this banana burfee recipe! An easy homemade Indian dessert, the banana barfi is an acquired taste that you’ll either love or hate!

In Hindi it’s called पक्के केले के बर्फी (pakke kele ki barfi) which in English means ripe banana dessert. You’ll also find it called kela burfi or banana halwa. But banana halwa is usually made with wheat and tougher, so it’s definitely not that.

What it simply is, is a delicious banana dessert called kela barfi or kelichya vadya or many other local names.

Even if you don’t like bananas, if you’re wondering ‘What on earth can I make with ripe bananas?’, here’s your answer. Just make this yummilicious

What do you need to make the banana burfee Dessert?

To make this yummy banana burfee, you’ll need milk, sugar, cardamom, ghee, bananas, and almonds. If you need to, you could also add desiccated coconut or cornflour.

How to make the Indian kele ki barfi from ripe bananas?

Start by reducing the milk and sugar to half. Add the crushed elaichi (cardamom) to the milk while it’s reducing, so that milk soaks in the flavor.

This milk reduction step can be done a day in advance or a few days in advance too. Just store it in the refrigerator till you need it, and thaw before using.

Milk reduction is a basic step for most Indian desserts, so you can always double or triple the quantity and use it to make multiple desserts if you’re having a party.

Other desserts we make that use reduced sweetened milk are the Indian anjeer barfi, and the East Indian vanilla cream, walnut fudge, and more. Sometimes you can also add sweetened milk to pumpkin halwa and bottle gourd halwa!

Keep the milk boiling until it reduces to half. — Reduce the milk till quite dry

Before you start with the bananas, make slivers of the almonds and set aside. And also line a plate or tray with tissue paper (parchment paper) and set aside as well.

Cover the tray with butter paper. — Line a tray with butter paper

Now roughly mash the bananas with a potato masher or pea masher. You don’t really want to pulp it because it will be too mushy. Well, some people make it mushy, we don’t. It’s really a matter of personal preference. So you decide. 😉

Ripe Bananas for the recipe. — You need some ripe bananas

Peel the Banana and place it in a bowl. — Peel the bananas and add to a pot

Mash the bananas. — Mash the bananas roughly

In another vessel, fry the mashed bananas with about 30 ml of ghee for 5 to 6 minutes. Don’t let them turn brown, just stop short of that.

Add ghee with Spoon. — Add a spoon of ghee to mashed bananas

Once the bananas are fried, add them to the reduced milk and continue to reduce. You might have to stir continuously for the next 25 minutes till the mixture thickens and starts to leave the sides.

Tips For Making Kela Barfi/Kele Ki Mithai/Indian Banana Dessert

Add a bit of kesar (saffron) to the cardamom and milk while reducing for a richer taste and natural color!
You can leave the skins of the cardamom to use in a curry or throw them in the loose tea storage pot or in the tea brewing pot. The tea tastes a whole lot better!
Not too fond of the taste of bananas? Add in half a cup of desiccated coconut or 1 teaspoon of coffee powder while cooking.
You can add cornflour/cornstarch if you want the mixture to thicken faster.
Ghee is Indian clarified butter. If you cannot find it, use any good nutty butter or even regular unsalted butter.
Store the banana barfi in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Sprinkle with sliced almonds before refrigeration!
You can replace the sliced almonds with chopped pistachio nuts.