PONSA MULIK (Sweet Jackfruit Fritters)
Ingredients
- 1 to 1 ½ cups very ripe jackfruit chopped
- ¼ to 1/2 cup jaggery powder adjust according to sweetness of jackfruit
- ½ cup grated coconut fresh or frozen
- 6-8 green cardamoms, just the seeds optional
- ½ to 1 cup semolina/rava/cream of wheat or more as needed
- 8-10 cashew nuts; roughly chopped; optional
- Oil/ghee for deep frying
Instructions
TO MAKE THE PONSA MULIK DOUGH/BATTER:
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Deseed and chop jackfruit; transfer to a blender jar.
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Add jaggery powder (start with ¼ cup and add more as needed), ½ cup grated coconut and a dash of water.
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Blend to an almost fine paste.
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Transfer this to a mixing bowl.
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Stir in cardamom powder from 8-10 green cardamoms.and 1 cup of semolina (start with ½ cup).
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Mix well and if needed, add more semolina or water to form a dough that can be made into soft dough balls.
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The dough should not be too soft and wet or too dry. Adjust the consistency by adding more semolina or a splash of water.
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Let rest for about 10 minutes.
TO FRY PONSA MULIK/JACKFRUIT FRITTERS
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Heat oil (or ghee) for deep frying in a pan and heat until hot.
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Meanwhile, make small balls of the mulik dough or flatten them a bit and set aside in a plate. You can make them into rough, rustic balls too.
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If you find the dough/batter too thin, then add a bit of semolina and if too dry, then a splash of water. Basically you must be able to make round or rough balls which maintains it's shape.
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When the oil is hot, drop the balls gently into the hot oil and let fry a minute or so.
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After a few seconds, stir using a ladle and then lower the heat to medium or medium high to let the inside of the fritter to cook too. Too much heat and they will burn outside without the inside cooking.
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Do not crowd the pan and keep flipping the fritters to cook evenly.
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When the fritters are golden brown, transfer to a paper tissue lined plate to absorb the excess oil.
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Repeat using rest of the dough.
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Serve preferably hot of the stove with a cuppa chai or coffee and if you are like most Mangaloreans, then serve with some ghee to dip the fritters and enjoy!
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My family loves it as such without the ghee.
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You are going to love biting into these golden brown tropical delights which are crispy on the outside and heavenly sweet, aromatic and slightly soft on the inside.
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And if you have added cashew bits, then like me, you will be gleefully diving into this unique jackfruit fritter which is famous from my hometown Mangalore in the southern part of India.
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Do try this every Jackfruit season and Happy Cooking/Eating!
Recipe Notes
- Adjust the amount of sweetener according to your preference. If the jackfruits are very sweet, then you will need less jaggery or your choice of sweetener.
- Adding coconut adds that extra flavor and makes the fritter soft to the bite.
- Stirring in bits of nuts or even slivers of coconut is optional but gives another texture dimension to this mulik.
- I have used semolina here but if you are using rice rava/cream of rice, then make sure to soak it in just enough water for at least 15 minutes before adding it to the dough.
- For a rich flavor or when making on special occasions, you could deep fry this in ghee.
- Make sure to keep an eye on the fritters as they turn dark brown in no time! So once you drop the dough balls in the hot oil, gently reduce the heat to medium and then deep fry until golden brown.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated and then reheated either in the microwave or air fryer.
- I love it at room temperature too.
- Enjoy and Happy Cooking/Eating!