One of my readers mailed me a couple of weeks ago asking if I could upload the recipe of a quintessentially Mangalorean seasonal (summertime) snack – the Gariyo, but made with Bananas instead of the Jackfruit. I had never heard of Banana Gariyos but found the idea quite interesting and promised her that I would hunt for a recipe. I flipped through my favourite Mangy Cookery Bibles (a.k.a recipe books) and found a slightly different version than what my requestor wanted, but the outcome was quite nice. My DH (dear hubby) jokingly said this was the Goli Baje’s (savoury fritters) sweeter cousin. Sure it was! A hybrid between the Goli Baje (in texture) and the Jackfruit Gariyo (in flavour). This is definitely not like the authentic Gariyo (which are more firm and a bit tough to eat), but a very good replacement if you want to pop a Gariyo anytime round the year. It is also different from the Banana Fritters which is very commonly made in Keralite households which involves slices of bananas dipped in batter & deep fried.
While the Jackfruit Gariyos are made with ground rice, jaggery, coconut and ripe jackfruit, the Banana version is quite simple – wheat flour, sugar, bananas & coconut milk come together to make the batter which can be whipped up in a jiffy. I am quite eager to try out the rice flour version of this recipe – I will try it soon enough & upload that recipe here too. And since Gariyos have been my favourite since my childhood (prefer them over the steamed Jackfruit Patholis), I am waiting for the summer so that I can hopefully find some Jackfruit in the supermarket, or better still, smuggle some from Mangalore 🙂
While I limit deep frying to once a month (it’s a highly unhealthy way of cooking), I did try this last evening as this post was due for a long time. I reduced the quantities as we are just 2 adults and a small mouth to feed 🙂
Kelyanchyo Gariyo
Yield : 15 lime sized Gariyos
Recipe Source: Sambardo by J.B Lobo
You Need: (note that these are figures that I reduced by one third of the original recipe to give a yield of 15 gariyos, I measured each ingredient in grams. The cup/tbsp figures mentioned here are approximate)
- 1 big ripe banana (Cavendish variety you get in Mangalore or the Golden Banana available in Mumbai)
- 80 gms wheat flour (approx 3/4th cup)
- 60gms sugar (approx 1/3rd cup or abt 5 tbsp)
- 1/2 cup coconut milk or 2tbsp coconut milk powder dissolved in 1/2 cup hot water or you can just use milk
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
- 1 egg (I skipped this)
- salt to taste
- oil for deep frying
Method:
1. Mash the banana well and mix it along with the wheat flour & sugar.
2. Prepare the coconut milk and add it to the above mixture. You can add small amounts of water or more coconut milk to arrive at a thick batter (cake batter consistency)
3. Heat oil for deep frying. Test the heat by dropping a small drop of batter. If it comes up immediately your oil is hot enough for frying.
4. Drop about a tablespoonful (or use your fingers) of batter into the hot oil & fry till golden brown.
5. Remove from the oil & transfer onto an absorbent kitchen towel.
6. Serve hot!
lovely looking fritters — combo of flavours is stunning !
Thanks Priya, the fritters are very very simple to make too..do try & let me know how they turned out 🙂
When did you add the egg
I skipped it, did not add, but you can add it in step#1
I must say you can’t be thanked enough for the awesome recipes you post. The proportion if followed to the T is perfect. I swear by all your recipes!
For this one, I used maida as I did not have wheat flour at home. I skipped the egg too. Yet, the flavor was perfect!
Today, you brought a dash of Manglorean all the way to the Caribbean.
Wow! That’s a wonderful compliment Deborah! So glad to note that you liked this recipe! If I may ask, are you a Mangalorean living in the Caribbean?
Yes, I am.
Lovely! Nice to be connected!