Garige is a favourite in both Nishal’s family and mine. And when there is ripe jackfruit waiting to be used, it is hard to resist making a batch.

For the IPL final that day, I wanted something that would taste just as yummy at room temperature as it did freshly fried. The remaining jackfruit became Garige. A little bowl of these, and the match-day snack was sorted.

The ingredients are much like those in Gatti, but steaming and frying give such different results. That is something I love about these recipes. The same ingredients can take on so many forms.

There is a little of both homes in this batch too. At Mom’s and Amma’s, the coconut goes into the mixer with the batter. My mum-in-law mixes freshly grated coconut into the ground batter instead, for that lovely coconutty bite. I added it at both stages. Super yummy, with a little texture in every bite.

Garige / Gariyo: Ripe Jackfruit Fritters

Ingredients

1 cup red or white boiled rice (parboiled rice, measured dry)
1 cup ripe jackfruit, deseeded
¾ cup jaggery
1 cup freshly grated coconut
2 cardamom pods, seeds removed from the husks
3 to 4 peppercorns, optional
Salt, to taste
A little white sesame and black sesame, to taste
Rice flour, only as needed to thicken the batter, optional
Coconut oil, or a mixture of coconut oil and regular frying oil, for deep-frying

Instructions

Method

Give the rice its soaking time. Wash the rice and soak it for 4 to 5 hours. Drain well. This is uncooked boiled or parboiled rice, rather than leftover cooked rice.
Start with the jackfruit. Blend the deseeded jackfruit, jaggery, cardamom seeds and peppercorns without adding any water. The peppercorns can be left out if preferred.
Add the rice. Add the drained rice and salt to the same mixer and grind them into the jackfruit mixture. Keep the water out at this stage too, so the batter stays thick.
Bring in the coconut. Add the grated coconut and blend again. This is the way we usually do it at Mom's and Amma's. For my mum-in-law's version, mix the coconut into the ground batter instead. To use it at both stages as I did in this batch, reserve a little of the measured coconut to stir in after grinding.
Check the consistency. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. It should be thick, much like medu vada batter, and hold a small mound rather than flow like dosa batter. If it needs thickening, mix in a little rice flour at a time. Stir in the white and black sesame seeds.
Fry small portions. Heat enough oil for deep-frying. Keep the heat at medium-low and carefully drop small, rounded portions of batter into the oil. Fry in batches, turning as needed, until golden-brown and cooked through. I also like taking a batch a little further, to a deeper brown. The two shades give a slightly different bite. Keep the portions small so the centres cook before the outside gets too dark.
Drain and let them cool. Lift the Garige out and drain on paper towels. Unlike many other fritters, I like these once they have cooled completely. The jackfruit sweetness seems even lovelier at room temperature.

Notes

No added water. The jackfruit and jaggery help the mixture blend. Keeping water out makes it easier to get the thick batter these fritters need.
Coconut can go in at different stages. Ground into the batter, stirred in for more bite, or a little of both. The same ingredients, with a small change that gives a different texture.
Rice flour is a helper, not a must. Use it only if the batter needs thickening.
Try both shades. Golden-brown and a deeper brown are both part of my highlight. Fry a small batch each way and see which bite is the favourite, making sure the centres are cooked through.
Coconut oil is my first choice. A mix with regular frying oil works too.
Let them cool before serving. These are lovely for a snack that does not have to go straight from the frying pan to the table.