May 29, 2007

JFI-JackFruit....Chakka Mezhukuparatti/Jackfruit Side dish



Jugalbandi got the oppurtunity to host the JFI for this month and what do they pick as the theme-Jackfruit!!! As if trying to meet deadlines was not hard enough, I had to prod the imagination to find Jackfruit here. Along with mangoes, jackfruit with all their pungent smell and gooey taste is what I miss about Kerala.
All this month, Jugal bandi have been showcasing Jackfruit (since they found a fresh one at their local Thai grocery), with unfairly drool worthy pictures of the plump fruit before they cut it, after they cut it, after they roasted the seeds,, after they cooked it...Thank God there was no pictures of the aftermath.:)
Then Inji chimed in, showing off the jackfruit sent to her.a..ar..gh...

So anyway, I realy wanted to participate in the JFI this time, except that I have no jackfruit/chakka in sight in the East Coast.
I resorted to my standby- frozen jackfruit but the local Indian groceries didn't carry it. Finally found one in Oak Tree Road (Is there anything Indian you can't find there?)and made a mezhukuparatti or veg side dish, if you want to call it that.

The recipe is my friend's and I first had this yummy dish at her house. It tends to be on the sweeter side depending on the ripeness of the jackfruit but goes well as a foil to any spicy curry. This is one of the vegetables or fruits, I don't mind using frozen. No cleaning, and I don't have to deal with any of the messy glue which surrounds the fleshy fruit and the mezhkuparatti gets cooked in a jiffy.

You Will Need:
Green Jackfruit(Pachcha chakka)
(finely chopped) –450 gms or 1 lb
Cumin seeds(Jeerakam) – 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Hot Green Chilies – 4 nos slit vertically.
Garlic pods – 1 or 2
Shallots-2
Curry leaves – one sprig
Dry Red Chilies – 2 nos
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Oil – 2 tbsp or as needed
Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Defrost the jackfruit pieces by soaking it in water for 10-15 minutes. Drain well and cut into strips using a kitchen scissor.
2. Heat oil in a pan or a kadai. Lower the heat, add mustard seeds and cover till it stops spluttering. Now add the red chillies broken into 2-3 pieces, green chilies and curry leaves.
3.Add the jackfruit slivers, turmeric and salt. Lower the heat, add 2 tablespoon water, cover and cook for about 5 minutes. Open, stir to mix well and check to see if it is done. Add more oil if needed to avoid sticking to the pan.
4. Crush the shallots and garlic coarsely with a mortar and pestle and add to the pan. Mix well and it may take a couple of minutes of sauteing more with continuous stirring. The shallot-garlic mix can be omitted if prefered. Make sure the jackfruit doesn't get overcooked else it will stick to each other. Serve with rice.

26 comments:

bee said...

yeah, i knew you being a true mallu would make atleast one dish. :-D.

it looks great.

thanks, shaheen.

Meena Kandlakuti said...

HI ,

simple dish with jackfruit.never cooked any thing with jackfruit.Thanks for sharing.Thanks for dropping by at my blog.Yeah!Sure! I will blog from now frequently..mostly one or two recipes a week:-))(ofcourse when my little one is sleepnig)

Anonymous said...

shaheen, i have seen this chakka packets in denver indian store. but then i never bothered. now i had to go to so many places to find one when i needed :))

i have never had mezhukupuratti with chakka but love it's seeds fried to crisp.

Revathi said...

Wow I am not checking blog for 3 days and you have 3 new posts ??? How do you even manage ??

Revathi said...

forgot to mention my pick is the beef fry .. though i dont eat beef I can easily imagine mutton fry like that. amma makes with peppercorns !!

Nabeela said...

your keralites do dig jackfruit from all I can see on your blogs :)
My mom used to make jackfruit seeds curry...but we never tried making a salan with its other parts...its interesting to see the many varieties of dishes everybody is coming up with

indosungod said...

Shaheen, Mezhukuparatti looks delicious. I have not found any jackfruits in my neck of the woods either. 200 miles is not a big deal right, I'll let you know if I find any store close by.

FH said...

Looks great Shaheen.I love JF,glad I get cans at least here.I made 4 dishes!:))

sra said...

Looks lovely, am surprised it has no coconut in it, for a Kerala dish

Bharathy said...

Wow! nice to see you blogging back in an ACTIVE mood..nice to see your new dishes...Great! you could participate in JFI as well..
I am back,as you see..

[A doubt!..Do you see RSS(just headings) for your 'side bar' links of bloggers in that small window by Snapshots?I dont see pics in those anymore.:(]

Anonymous said...

looks so lovely...great JF recipe....thanks for sharing

Shah cooks said...

Bee, u guessed right. had to make something, even though i was eyeing ur JF.:)

Meena, Glad to see u back. This is a very simple recipe. do try.

Reena,I love the seeds roasted in the aduppu. U are tight, noramlly u see this everywhere. i have bookmarked ur recipe for my next trial.

Revathi,I had a spurt of inspiration.. happens sometimes..not all the times.I see u are still smelling the roses.:)Mutton fry would also be good if it is boneless and with crushed pepper..oh my!

Nabee, u probably are tapping ur forehead.. these mallus are crazy.. well, there are only somethings we can call unique to kerala.

Indo, c'mon over, 200 miles is nothing. U should take a trip to oak tree road for pure nostalgia.

Asha, saw ur kathal ki subji and now i want to try that too!how did u manage 4?

Sra, A mezhukuparatti literally means "coated with oil". Kerala dishes are either Thorans with coconut or mezhukuparatti , without coconut.

Bharathy, the snaps shots looks fine.Yes, this JFI , i managed to join in.Can't do it all the time though!

Dilip, Thanks a lot.

Vinod said...

I am one among those who don't cook by choice , but then that's an essential part of an Bachelor's life:-( .But belive me after reading your blog i am glad that
i can try out few things .. its been long since i had some good homely food .. will
for sure try some of your receipes ...THanks again !

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Bong Mom said...

You know I saw the green unripe jackfruit fresh in our grocery store. Maybe Bee had something to do with it. But I was too lazy to buy them, cuth them etc. etc. so got the canned one instead

Suganya said...

O o this is a great recipe... Looking YUM!...Love it...

Mishmash ! said...

My lady, be glad that you could atleast find the frozen ones!
Btw, wonder why your post do not show up in my reader....it used to but i missed your last 4-5 posts recently...any idea why ?

Shn

Anonymous said...

Shaheen- so yummy and different with the garlic and shallots. Somehow, the frozen green jackfruit has not worked that great for me. It sometimes taste bitter and does not cook well when covered like in your recipe. Any tips on how to cook it to right stage or without bitterness?

Anonymous said...

Looks delicious, Shaheen. Someday I am going down there just to visit that Oak Tree Road. Nothing much like that near Boston :)

Prajusha said...

woh,shaheen ur chakka mezhukupuratti looks delicious.Good entry for JFI.

Anonymous said...

so somebody cooking up a storm,eating up too i guess:)
ki

J said...

Hey Shaheen, nice recipe. You wrote a nice article on Kids safety, thanks for keeping the event going!! :)

Shah cooks said...

Mad, cooking is relaxing if you let go of the idea that its for soemone else.

Sandeepa, saw ur JF recipe.Very different from my use of it and therefore very interesting to me.

Sukanya, Thanks.
Mishmash, I noticed that and am working to correct it.

Mika, I have not yet encountered the bitterness, but I will surely let you know if I figure out why and when it turns bitter.

LInda, I was in Boston last weekend!!

Prajusha, Thanks.

KI, eating up a storm.. well yeah..

Jyotsana, u are welcome. hope u are well.

Inji Pennu said...

ah! finally! :)

Prema Sundar said...

Heard the name of this recipe , but havent had the chance to try it out. looks good and a good entry.

Green Chillies said...

wow, Never thought about a mizhikuupuratti with chakka before. Will try this one out!