Ponsa Idlis (Steamed Jackfruit Cakes)

Ponsa Idlis – sweet and delicious steamed ripe jackfruit cakes with jaggery and coconut; a scrumptious south Indian delight to enjoy when fresh jackfruits are in season!

Every summer, I am in my sons’ houses in US but this time, because of the 2020 pandemic, enjoying my time in India (Mysore) hogging on fresh mangoes and jackfruits; a summer delight!

No one can beat the varieties of mangoes that India has to offer and jackfruit is a tropical fruit indigenous to the southern part of India (and sometimes in other parts of south Asia like Sri Lanka, Malaysia etc. too).

We love to enjoy jackfruit as a fruit but sometimes with so many jackfruits in season, it is nice to indulge in some snacks made of jackfruit too!

WHAT IS JACKFRUIT?

Jackfruit is a large fruit which has a thick outer green, porcupine like skin but inside this harsh skin is a delicious, yellow, fleshy fruit with edible seeds inside.

Once it is cut, each jackfruit pod is removed and both the yellow fleshy outer portion as well as the inner seed can be eaten. The fruit can be eaten raw but the seeds need to be cooked. Both are high in nutrition and are good for you.

Jackfruit is enjoyed raw as well as ripe. Everyone now knows the vegan option for meat globally – the ubiquitous raw jackfruit that mimics the texture of meat in many dishes! But the ripe variety is not so popular but I would say more delicious!

Like I said earlier, it grows mainly in the southern part of India and I live in the heart of it! So, no way am I missing gorging on these, cooked or not!

PONSA IDLI:

Idli is basically a steamed savory rice-lentil cake which Indians enjoy with some chutney or sambar for breakfast or brunch or could be a semolina savory steamed cake like these delicious Rava Idlis or even some spicy and savory Moringa Leaves Idlis !!

But ponsa idlis (jackfruits are called “ponasu” in Konkani our mother tongue) are sweet and scrumptious steamed rice cakes with blended/ground ripe jackfruit and jaggery to sweeten it up a bit more!

After hogging on the fresh fruit these past couple of weeks, I had to make this traditional Konkani snack from the southern part of India; specifically Mangalore, which I used to enjoy in my grandparents’ house in Mangalore during the summer vacations. They had and still have huge jackfruit and mango trees in their yard!

HOW TO MAKE PONSA OR JACKFRUIT IDLIS?

Basically, you need just 4 ingredients:

Jackfuit or Ponasu – should be ripe and fleshy. Fresh fruit is best, but during off season, you can use canned jackfruit or even frozen available in any Indian store.
Coconut – grated coconut (fresh or frozen); this adds a bit of softness to the steamed cake.
Rice – traditionally, rice is soaked and blended to make the batter. But here, I have used store bought rice rava which is basically, soaked and dried rice, blended to a coarse semolina like texture. You can use semolina or suji/rava instead too.
Jaggery – I have used jaggery powder to sweeten it up a bit which is what is traditionally used but not too much as jackfruit is sweet by itself. This is available in any Indian store or even online.
To add more flavor and aroma, cardamom powder is best as it goes well with the flavor of jaggery and jackfruit.

Just blend ripe jackfruit with coconut and jaggery and stir in soaked rice rava (which has been washed and soaked for 15 minutes) along with cardamom powder.
If you love nuts, stir in some chopped nuts; we love cashew nuts, but you can add either this or even chopped almonds or pistachios and if you have nut allergies, just omit them!
Once the batter is ready, steam in either katoris/small bowls in a steamer or in an “idli steamer” for 20 minutes; easy isn’t it?
Once steamed, these soft, fluffy and divine Jackfuit Idlis are enjoyed with dollops of ghee over it or even fresh, homemade white butter; can be avoided if vegan!

So, if you love jackfruit, you have to try these steamed Indian sweet cakes and enjoy the fruits of nature using fresh jackfruit during jackfruit season or even use canned or frozen jackfruit at other times!

UPDATED MARCH 9, 2021:

When my local Indian grocer sent me 2 cans of ripe jackfruit instead of raw jackfruit (perils of online shopping during the pandemic), I could not but be thrilled to bits as now I got to make this delicious, sweet, fluffy and healthy favorite snack of mine Ponsa Idli again, especially when fresh jackfruits are nowhere in sight!

Don't they look delicious? I am drooling again here.......

Enjoy Foodie Friends and Happy Cooking!

If you do make this delicious Indian delight, do not forget to rate and leave a comment in the comment box below.

You can also share your version of these idlis on Instagram using my Instagram handle @curryandvanilla16/#curryandvanilla16 or on my Facebook page.

Here are some more jackfruit delights from my blog:

Now, let's see how to make these delicious and mouthwatering Sweet Ponsa Idli/Jackfruit Steamed Cakes:

Yum

Ponsa Idli (Steamed Jackfruit Cakes)

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 12-15

Sweet and delicious steamed ripe jackfruit cakes with jaggery and coconut; a scrumptious delight to enjoy when fresh jackfruits are in season or can be made with canned or frozen too!

Ingredients

1 ½ cups chopped ripe jackfruit
½ cup grated coconut (fresh or frozen, thawed)
½ cup jaggery (refined cane sugar) powder or to taste
1 cup rice rava washed and soaked in water for 15 to 20 minutes
6 to 7 green cardamoms powdered
Pinch of salt (about 1/8 tsp or so)
Few cashew nuts, some chopped (2 tbsp) and some halved
Ghee or white butter (optional)

Instructions

Wash and soak rice rava/semolina in a bowl.
Peel the yellow fleshy pods from the fruit and save the seeds to make curries or other dishes. Peel the outer flesh into smaller pieces.
Blend chopped jackfruit, jaggery powder and grated coconut to a paste without adding any water. If needed, sprinkle a few tablespoons of water to run the blender.
Drain the water off the soaked rice rava.
Transfer the jackfruit – coconut mixture into this bowl.
Add chopped cashew nuts and cardamom powder and mix well. Let rest for about 15 minutes. This allows the coarse rice to absorb moisture and soak up a bit more.
Meanwhile, shallow fry cashew halves in some ghee until light brown. This step is optional; only for decorative purposes.
Just before making Ponsa Idli, heat an idli steamer; grease the idli pan with ghee or oil and place one half roasted cashew in each indentation in the center.
When the water starts steaming, spoon batter into the idli indentations and steam the batter for 15 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
Remove from steamer and let cool 5 minutes and then gently remove using a spoon, knife or best is a silicone spatula onto to a plate.
Serve hot, delicious, sweet and healthy Ponsa idli or Steamed sweet Jackfruit cakes with a dollop of ghee or white butter; this is optional!
Enjoy Foodies!

Notes

Make sure jackfruit is ripe, the riper the sweeter they will be and will need lesser jaggery.

Adjust the amount of jaggery according to personal taste.

Same recipe can be tried using suji or semolina.

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STEP-WISE INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE PONSA IDLIS:

Wash and soak rice rava/semolina in a bowl.

Peel the yellow fleshy pods from the fruit and save the seeds to make curries or other dishes. Peel the outer flesh into smaller pieces.

Blend chopped jackfruit, jaggery powder and grated coconut to a paste without adding any water. If needed, sprinkle a few tablespoons of water to run the blender.

Drain the water off the soaked rice rava.

Transfer the jackfruit – coconut mixture into this bowl.

Add chopped cashew nuts and cardamom powder and mix well. Let rest for about 15 minutes. This allows the coarse rice to absorb moisture and soak up a bit more.

Meanwhile, shallow fry cashew halves in some ghee until light brown. This step is optional; only for decorative purposes.

Just before making Ponsa Idli, heat an idli steamer; grease the idli pan with ghee or oil and place one half roasted cashew in each indentation in the center.

When the water starts steaming, spoon batter into the idli indentations.