Chakka Varatti Jackfruit Preserve Jackfruit Jam Phanas Halwa

Hope you are enjoying the sesaon of Mangoes and Jackfruit like me!  Jackfruit is one of the fruit in the fruity trio. 

The sesaonal items make me go to the weekly market...... the sight of various country grown veg and fruits are a feast to eyes!  While I was pushing myself through the crowd, an aroma floating in the air drew me torwards a cart selling Jackfruit :p They were fresh and a beautiful yellow in color. I couldn't resist buying so  1/2 kg ripe jackfruit pods made their way into my shopping bag, this friday.  I planned to make some traditional recipes using it.... There are traditional recipes using the raw jackfruit, ripe jackfruit and also its seeds.....

My FIL is an ardent fan of the chakka varatti (Jackfruit Preserve). Hence, I decided to make that for him this week. I realised I haven't shared the recipe here, so here it is .......

Our ancestors had a unique way of storing seasonal items to make them availale in some form to the taste buds through out the year. Sharing with you one such traditional preserve recipe using Jackfruit which is called "Chakka Varatti" / Chakka Varatiyadhu / Chakka Jam.........  Chakka Pazham means Jackfruit in  Malayalam, 'Pala Pazham' in Tamil Nadu and in  hindi it is known as 'Phanas'.

Ingredients :-

1. Jackfruit paste - 1 cup
2. Jaggery - 1 cup
3. Clarified Butter (ghee) - 1/4 cup
4. Water - 1/4 cup

Method :

• Deseed the jackfruit pods, wash and drain them. 

• Pressure cook Jackfruit pods adding little water, for two whistles. Let them cool and then blend them well to make a thick paste. 

 

• Boil jaggery adding water and let it dissolve completely. Filter the impurties and transfer the jaggery syrup into a thick bottomed deep pan / Kadai / wok.

• Bring it to boil till it comes to one thread consistency.  Lower the flame.

• Now add the Jackfruit paste, mix till they blend well with each other, on slow flame.

• Now on medium flame cook till it thickens (stirring in between).

• Once the gravy becomes thick (dropping consitency), add the ghee little by little and keep stirring till the ghee is absorbed and the mixture becomes thick and start leaving the sides.

• Let it cool. Transfer to a clean container. This you can store outside or in fridge and use a clean spoon for every use. For long life, you can even freeze them.

• I have taken it a stage earlier as it was small in quantity, which will be finished quickly. For long storage, keep stirring it till becomes dry and thick.

• This preserve can be used like a jam spread, can be dissolved in milk for making a flavoured milk, can use in making Payasam (Pradhaman) along with coconut milk. or it can be used as a stuffing in the traditional Elai Adai (a steamed sweet).

Raw Mango Rice / Manga Sadam / Kachi Kairi Chaval

'Raw mango' - even a thought of mango makes one's mouth water...... Summer is the season for mangoes; raw and ripe. I already made instant pickle with the sour mangoes. Got this less sour variety called thothapuri / kilimooku mango.... which are more tasty for instant pickles and for making this variety rice dish called "Mango Rice" / Manga Chadham (sadam) / Kachi Kairi Chaval.


This is a quick and easy dish to make when you have some ready cooked rice!

You may need :-

1. Raw Mango - 1/2 No. (thothapuri variety/kilimooku manga)
2. Cooked rice -2 cups
3.  Green chillies - 2 Nos. (or as per your preference)
4. Curry Leaves - 8 Nos.
5. Sesame Oil - 1 tbsp
6. Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
7. Urad dal - 1 tsp
8. Asafoetida - a pinch
9. Salt to taste
10. Turmeric powder - a very little pinch

 
Procedure:-

• Grate the raw mango with skin on. 

 

• Finely chop the green chilli.

• Heat oil, add mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering add Urad Dal and fry till it turns into golden brown.

• Add asafoetida powder, and then the Curry leaves, finely chopped green chillies and  grated Raw Mango.

 

• Add little pinch of turmeric. [Only a little so that it doesn't turn the color of the dish but higlhlight the beauitful color of mango].

• Saute for two minutes till mango turns little soft.  Turn off the flame.

• Add salt and cooked rice, Mix gently.

• 

  
  

• Mouthwatering Mango Rice is ready! 

 

Enjoy it plain or with some fried papad / chips or some mango pickle ;-

Other Mango Recipes :-

1. Manga Kootan (Raw Mango Curry)
2. Quick Raw Mango Pickle
3. Mampazha Pulissery (A curry using Buttermilk and Ripe Mangoes)

Peanut Coconut Chutney Kadalai Chutney Moongphali Chutney

There are variety of chutney that is made and served for Idli and Dosa. Sharing with you today another version of chutney such Chutney using "Rosated" peanuts / Groundnuts / Moongphali / Shengdana / Verkadalai/Kappalandi.

Roasted groundnut is used to replace coconut in traditional recipes. In this recipe, I am  using combo of groundnut and coconut.  Roasted peanuts is very healthy for heart. If you are looking for low glycemic index food this chutney is very good (Just replace coconut completely and use roasted peanuts). If you don't like garlic, just exclude that form your ingredient list.

A QUICK AND EASY Yummilicious CHUTNEY recipe!!

 Ingredients :-

1. Roasted Groundnut - 1/2 cup
2. Grated coconut   - 1/4 cup
3. Green Chillies - 2 Nos. (or as per your preference)
4. Garlic Pod - 1 No. (optional)
5. Curry Leaves - 5 Nos.
6. Salt to taste
7. Water as requried

• For tempering :-

1. Oil for tempering - 3 tsp
2. Mustard seeds  - 1 tsp

Procedure  :-

• Put ingredients 1 to 6 in a blender and adding water grind to a smooth paste. 

• You can add the water as per your required consistency to make it thick or thin or medium.

• In a tempering pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds. After they splutter add it to the chutney and mix well.

• Yummy Nutty Chutney is ready!

Tomato Rice Thakkali Sadam Tamatar Chaval

When I think of tomato rice, i was taken way back to my early working days when I used to buy food parcel from a mess on days when I don't carry my lunch box.  The word 'mess' has a special touch than a hotel because of its homely food.  

I remember those days....brownish green parcel was lying at a corner of the lunch table waiting to be opened ..... A look at the pack was enough to kindle my gastric juice .... I eagerly looked forward to lunch time.  I carefully unwound the thread and opened the crispy leaf parcel.....aha! colorful tomato rice packed in Patravali (Thayal Ilai in tamil) and the lightly oily layered inside of the leaf and the aroma it has given to the hot and freshly packed tomato rice is just enough to push me into the absolute foodie bliss....

Patravali or thayyal ilai is an eco friendly packing item made of leaves. The dried leaves of Sal or Jackfruit or Mandarai (still looking for the right english name. so please bear with me. it is a tamil name) are stitched together with the help of thin and tiny wooden sticks. Different regions in the country use different tree leaves for this purpose. They were used by sages and for offering and disbtributing prashad at the temples. We still can see these leaves in use in the country side.  Now with the help of machines these leaves are moulded into plate and bowl shape, are available in the market.

This is how Patravali - leaf plate looks. Got it from google search...

Let us get into tomato rice making..... this recipe is how we make it at home.

Ingredients :-

1. Cooked Rice - 1.5 Cups
2. Tomato - 1 Big
3. Onion - 1 Medium (optional)
4. Ginger - 1/2" piece  (optional)
5. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
6. Green Chilli - 1 No.
7. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
8. Red Chilli Powder - as per taste
9. Asafoetida powder - 1 Pinch
10. Sesame Oil for tempering - 1 tbsp
11. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
12. Channa dal - 1 tsp (split bengal gram)
13.  Salt to taste
14. A tsp of ghee
15. Jaggery - 1/4 tsp
16. Coriander leaves finely chopped - 1 tbsp (optional)

Procedure :

•  Finely chop tomato, onion, ginger, few curry leaves, Green chilli.

•  Heat oil, add mustard seeds. After they start spluttering, add channa dal. When the dal turns golden brown in color, add the curry leaves, finely chopped curry leaves, onion, ginger, green chillies and saute' till onion turns pink.

• Now add the finely chopped tomato and add little salt so that tomatoes gets cooked quickly and turns mushy.

• Now add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, asafoetida powder and required salt and very little jaggery (to enhance the taste) mix well and fry for one minute.

•  Switch off the flame, add chopped coriander leaves, ghee and the cooked rice. Gently mix well.

• Yummy tomato rice is ready to serve!  

Side dish : fried fryums, papad and curd makes a good combo.  I relish the tomato rice just plain :-)

There are few items mentioned optional. I sometimes add them, sometimes exclude any one or few of them to get variation in taste and flavour of this tomato rice.  If you want it to be more tangy, accordingly increase the measure for chopped tomato.