Sri Lankan Jackfruit Cutlets / Croquettes

Jackfruit filling

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook the potatoes until soft. Then remove the potatoes from the water, peel, and weigh out the required amount of potato.
2. Drain and rinse the jackfruit pieces (from the large can) .
3. Slice the jackfruit lengthwise, and then across to chop it.
4. Finely dice the onion. Slice the green chili in half, remove the seeds, and then finely chop it. Mince the garlic and ginger.
5. In a medium sized non-stick pan, heat about 1- 2 tbsp of neutral tasting oil or coconut oil, over medium heat.
6. Once hot, add the mustard seeds, and stir until the mustard seeds start to pop. Immediately add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Saute until the onions start to soften. Make sure not to burn the garlic or ginger.
7. Add the green chili and spices, and mix for a few seconds.
8. Add the jackfruit, and cook until the jackfruit is cooked through and the mixture is a little dry. This can take as little as 5 minutes or 10 minutes depending on the pan you use and the heat of the stove. Add salt to taste (you will need to add more once the potato is added).
9. Add the potato and cook the mixture until the extra moisture in the potatoes has evaporated.
10. It is OK to stir and mash the potato a little. Make sure the final mixture resembles lumpy mashed potato, that is a little dry.
11. Let the mixture dry completely, uncovered, while mixing it from time to time as it cools. Add more salt to taste if needed.
12. When the mixture has cooled down, roll portions of the mixture into balls that are about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Set aside on a plate.

Dredging and breading the cutlets

1. In a bowl, mix the flour and salt together. Add enough of the water to create a flour mix that has a slightly thicker consistency than heavy cream, and has no lumps. Set aside.
2. Place the breadcrumbs on a separate plate.
3. Coat each of the cutlets in the flour water mixture, and then coat it in the breadcrumbs. Roll the cutlet in your hands to make breadcrumb layer as even as possible, with no visible cracks.
4. Repeat the above process to create two layers of breadcrumb coating.
5. Repeat with all the balls, and place them on a clean plate or on parchment paper.

Frying the cutlets

1. Heat a large pot of oil (at least 3 inches in deep) over medium or medium high heat, until the oil is about 350°F / 180°C.
2. Fry the cutlets in the hot oil, taking care not to overcrowd the pot. The cutlets should brown in about 2 - 3 minutes (depending on the size). If the cutlets brown within 30 seconds, then the oil is too hot, and you may need to lower the heat to better manage how they fry.
3. Remove the fried cutlets from the hot oil (once the cutlets are golden brown in color), and place them in a colander (lined with paper towels) to drain excess oil.
4. Serve while warm and crispy.