"Ponsa~Tandla Mulika/Ripe Jackfruit~Rice Fritters"... I have always prepared these fritters with rava as it is much easier to do so ... for the first time today I prepared them using rice instead of rava ... turned out Crisp exterior and spongy within sweet mulika ... Yummilicious .....
** Ponsa Mulika ie Ripe Jackfruit Fritters is a common snack item prepared in Konkani Saraswat homes when they are in season. These deep fried fritters can be stored easily for a few days to a weeks time and relished as and when you want. My Mom always prepared them many times through the months that the ripe jackfruit were in season. Those days I don’t think we ever bought jackfruit from market as they were always available in plenty in either a friendly neighbors home or from a relative and it was always given away as they are very large in size and one tree yields a lot of them in bulks which would otherwise go wasted. With changing times and items being exported all round the world, things have changed, though in my hometown we still have relatives and friends who will happily send them to you. But in Mumbai, specially in cities we have got to buy them and they are quite costly on the onset while later the prices go down.
** The best part of buying them in Mumbai however is you get them all pickled, cut and cleaned, all ready to eat which is really a boon as cleaning them is pain with hands getting sticky. But during Vata Purnima festival, which is observed in Maharashtra by married women by worshiping vada tree this fruit is extensively used and during that time a lot of them are sold in market and people buy them full without being sorted and cleaned. Well, I have always bought them cleaned and ready to use, all I need to do is wash them and remove the inner seed which we call in Konkani as Bikkanda and use the fruit portion for some dishes and the bikkanda the inner seed is also used while preparing curries. I also clean the bikkanda, dry them and store them in freezer of which method I have already posted in my Blog which was a hit amongst all my friends worldwide. Coming to preparation of Mulika too, I have posted a few methods before and will be doing so in many more ways as I have loads of ideas popping up in my mind.
** Ponsa Mulkia / Ripe Jackfruit Fritters is traditionally prepared in 2 ways ie either rava is added on to the mixture or rice is added after grinding it fine. I have always preferred addition of Bombay rava and preparing the mulika as it is faster and easier to prepare without the tedious task of having to grind the rice. A few times during the initial years of my married life I did try out using rice but they turned out slightly brittle and had some unpleasant incidences following it, which is best forgotten, but, after which I always stuck to rava. I would like to make an honest appeal to all here that mistakes or lets say finishing of a dish may not turn out as expected or things may go wrong somewhere when you try out something for the first time, but never discourage anybody for that, instead try to tell or suggest what might have gone wrong. Again I also want to tell all out there to, if things go wrong do not be disheartened or let it off, even if it goes to the extent of wastage a few times, try again learning from old mistakes and you will perfect it like me for sure.
** Ponsa Mulika / Ripe Jackfruit Fritters mixture actually falls in this category and may turn hard if the mixture is not bound to correct texture. It can happen to anyone and with me it has happened many times, in fact it happens even sometimes now, so never try to prepare them in bulk but do so in batches over a few days and it is not only easier but not so much of hard work too. This time after decades I am preparing them using ground rice and luckily it turned out crisp outside and soft within. But I was also worried as I had lost touch with them over a years. I still want to give more tries to make them still softer but for now I am happy munching on them while I sit by my window at nightfall reading my favorite suspense thriller followed by hot turmeric milk. It is simply a heavenly feeling for me to forgo dinner and enjoy light snacks at night as it keeps me healthy and going and yes to age gracefully. You can use search option for my other ripe jackfruit items which I have posted in plenty in the blog and try them out.
** Here is my simple traditional recipe for "Ponsa~Tandla Mulika/Ripe Jackfruit~Rice Fritters"... My Style …
** Ingredients :
Raw Rice (I used Surti Kollam thick variety or any ordinary will do) : 1 cup
Ponosu / Ripe Jackfruit Pieces : 2 – 2.5 cups
Coconut / Soyi : 1 cup (fresh finely grated)
Jaggery / Gud / Goda : about 50-75 gms grated.
Cardamom / Ellaichi / Yellu Powder : ½ tsp
** Oil for deep frying the Mulika/Fritters.
** Oil for deep frying the Mulika/Fritters.
** Wash and soak the rice in 4 cups of water for about 3-4 hours. Wash well, drain off all excess water and put it in a mixer grinder along with jackfruit pieces (leave aside a handful finely chopped), grated jaggery and coconut. Grind to a smooth paste without adding any water mixing the mixture well in between to get a well ground mixture.
** Note : Ripe jackfruit and jaggery have enough water content in them to enable the mixture to be ground to a smooth texture. In case you find it still difficult to do so you can sprinkle some water and keep grinding till done.
** Remove the ground paste into a bowl and add in the finely chopped jackfruit pieces kept aside, cardamom powder and mix well. The mixture should be thick and of pouring consistency as shown in the picture, similar to bonda textures. If find that the texture is too thin you can add in a tablespoon or two of rice flour and mix well to get a uniform mixture.
** Heat plenty of oil for deep frying in a thick bottomed kadai/pan to smoking point. When done, lower the heat and wait for a few minutes and then drop about spoonful of the mixture into the hot oil gently with your hands taking care to see that the oil does not splatter. Add in a few at a time and do not overcrowd the pan.
** Cook the mulika/fritters on medium constant heat till slightly browned and then gently with a ringed spatula turn them over and cook all over till well and evenly browned. Remove and place them on an absorbent paper for the excess oil to get drained off. Repeat the procedure in batches till all the mixture is done.
** Note : While the mulika is dropped into the hot oil let it cook a bit till lightly browned before you turn it over with spatula and do not attempted to do so prior lest the fritters break up in the oil. It should be left undisturbed to cook before attempting to turn them over all round.
** "Ponsa~Tandla Mulika/Ripe Jackfruit~Rice Fritters" is done and ready to be served. These can be served hot or cold, they taste good either way. They are actually served at room temperature. They remain good for some days around a week, so once they have cooled down put them in a airtight container and store away and enjoy as and when required.
** Do try out these delicious mulika/fritters and enjoy as a snack sharing with your family and friends with some hot/cold beverages. They are great to carry when travelling, specially by train as they are quite filling and not messy and definitely a great time pass. I enjoy them as my dinner followed steaming hot turmeric milk, my favorite Combo.
** I am sharing a common link of mulika below where in you will find my own concoction I tried last year adding on both spice and sweetness and it tasted really awesome, while the other one is again the traditional one with rava.
** An Earnest Request : There are many more recipes of different types in the blog. For all my Recipes, use the search option or the label section in the Blog. If you are still not able to find it or have a query, please leave a message in comment section or mail me the same. I will try my best to get back to you as soon as possible. Do try out various types of dishes included in the Blog and Enjoy them with your family and friends and do give me a feedback if possible.
** I am happy to inform you that I have also started a food group for by the name "KONKANI DELICACIES" which is over and year old, with about 19K strong members. It is a pleasure to inform that you will find in the group many more recipes posted by our expert members and you too can share some of your own. The link to the group is posted on the left side of the blog page. Do join us in our culinary journey. I strongly believe in Sharing and always endorse that "Sharing Is Caring" … Thank You ….
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