Chakka Varatti / Jackfruit Preserve

                                             We did a road trip to Detroit to meet one my husband’s cousin. I really enjoyed that trip….It was wonderful ride through the country side enjoying the scenic beauty. Detroit, adding to it was a beautiful place, we spotted lots of lakes there. On our way back to Toronto my husband’s cousin packed us a one whole jackfruit, knowing our craziness to that fruit.  That was an awesome Jackfruit, prefect ripeness and taste. We ate a lot and shared some with our friends too… But we still had a lot of the fruit remaining. I was quite burdened that the fruit might get spoiled. That’s when an idea popped into my head, Chakka Varrati or the Jackfruit preserve which my grandmother used to make. Usually my grandmother makes this varrati with an entire fruit or even two. It is made in a huge vessel called 'uruli'. It is quite a labor intensive process and takes a long time (about 3-4 hours).

Jackfruit is an aromatic, fleshy fruit with wide sharpy like dotted skin. It can be eaten ripe, and cooked or uncooked. The seeds can also be eaten cooked. Although many who eat jackfruit loves it for its delicious taste, quite a few are unaware of the health benefits of jackfruit. It contains vitamin A, vitamin C, riboflavin, calcium, potassium, iron, sodium, zinc and many other nutrients. Made a quick call to mom for the recipe.

         Chakka Varrati or the Jackfruit preserve is an authentic and most popular kerala delicacy made from ripened jackfruit. Chakka is a Malayalam word for jackfruit and Chakkavarrati is a preserved pulp made out of jackfruit, Jaggery and ghee. Generally the chakkavarrati is made during jackfruit season and preserved for making various chakka(Jackfruit) delicacies.

INGREDIENTS: 

Ripe jack fruit flesh (finely chopped) -6 cup

Jaggery - 1kg

Ghee 1 cup

Dry ginger/chukku -1tsp

Cardamom powder - 1tsp

Water - 2 cups

METHOD:

Deseed the flesh pieces of jack fruit and chop them into small pieces.

Pressure cook the jack fruit pieces with 1 cup of water, for about 10 to 15 minutes until it is soft.

Cool down the cooked jack fruit and puree it in a mixer.

Heat a heavy bottomed pan and transfer the jack fruit pulp to this pan. Stir continuously until water disappears.

In the mean while heat another pan and melt Jaggery with a cup of water, to a dry thick syrup.

Pour the melted Jaggery to jack fruit pulp and stir continuously.

Add ghee, chukku and cardamom little by little.

Stir continuously on a low flame. If it is sticking then add little more ghee.

Stir continuously without taking your hands, until oil separates from sides, and it forms into 1 single lump.

Cool and store in an air tight container.

Easy Hummus Recipe / Make your own Hummus

Hummus typically an Egyptian food dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas or other beans, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. Today, it is popular throughout the Middle East (including Turkey), North Africa (including Morocco), and in Middle Eastern cuisine around the globe. As an appetizer and dip, hummus is scooped with flat bread, such as pita. It is also served as an accompaniment to falafel, grilled chicken and fish.  It’s generally garnished with whole chick peas, a sprinkling of paprika and a drizzle of olive oil. Some of the other garnishes that goes with it are chopped tomato, cucumber, coriander, parsley, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms.

Looking at the nutrition aspect home-made hummus is an excellent source of vitamin B6, manganese and dietary fiber. It is a good source of protein, vitamin C, folate, phosphorus, iron, zinc, copper and sodium.

I am personally a great fan of Hummus, it’s a great dip and quite easy to prepare. Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed ( 200 gms if using dried chickpeas, soaked it for 4 hrs and cook till its soft)

1 medium garlic clove, peeled and smashed

Juice of 1 medium lemon

1/4 cup roasted tahini

1/4 cup water, plus more as needed

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve

Salt to taste

Paprika for garnish

Method:

Place chickpeas, garlic, half of the lemon juice, tahini, water, olive oil, and a big pinch of salt in a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and process until smooth. If the hummus is too thick, add in more water, a tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. Check Taste, adjust salt and lemon juice as needed. To serve, place in a bowl, make a small cavity of hummus like a swirl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle some paprika.

Peanut Chutney / Groundnut Chutney

Groundnut is just another term for peanut. This protein rich peanut chutney is made quite often at our home for breakfast. Coconut and Peanuts make and awesome combination for Chutneys. Peanuts elevate a simple Coconut Chutney to the next level.

Ingredients:

Grated Coconut – 1 cup (fresh or frozen)

Dry Roasted Peanuts – a small handful

Red Chillies – 1 or 2 (Alter according to your spice tolerance)

Peeled Ginger – a small piece

Salt – to taste

Water – 1/4 cup

For Tempering:

Oil – 1 tsp

Mustard Seeds – 1/4 tsp

Sliced Shallots – 2

Curry Leaves – a small sprig

Method:

Grind coconut, peanuts, red chillies and ginger along with water to form a medium-thick paste.

If the paste is too thick, you can add a little more water. Season with salt( At our home we like it little thick)

You could also add tempering to it. I have not did it as I prefer it as it is.

Steps for tempering:

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Throw in the shallots and curry leaves and quickly sauté for a few seconds. Pour the coconut-peanut paste into the pan. Stir everything and remove from heat.