Kolar Pitha

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Blend banana, egg, and maple syrup in a blender until smooth, about 15 seconds. Add rice flour, salt, and baking powder and blend again until fully incorporated, about 10 seconds. (Or mash banana with a fork and whisk with the other ingredients in a medium bowl.) Cover batter and let sit at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours to allow rice flour to hydrate.

   Step 2

   Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet and line rack with paper towels. Pour ghee into a small high-sided skillet, preferably cast-iron, to come at least ⅓" up the sides (more fat will result in rounder fritters). Heat over medium-high until an instant-read thermometer registers 350°F or fat rapidly sizzles when a dollop of batter is added to the pan, about 5 minutes.

   Step 3

   Using a 1 Tbsp. measuring spoon, drop batter straight down into skillet in a compact circle. Fry 4–6 fritters at a time, depending on the size of your skillet, until edges are dark brown, centers puff up, and fritters are mostly cooked through, about 2 minutes. (Initially edges will curl up and centers will look sunken and wet, but don’t worry.) Using 2 spoons or chopsticks, turn fritters and fry until other sides are dark brown, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to prepared rack and let drain. The fritters will feel soft right out of the oil, but they will grow crisp as they sit. Remove any loose bits of batter from the oil and check the temperature before frying the next batch. Serve hot.