Cooking jackfruit seeds

Removing the skin and cutting of jackfruit seeds is a tricky and time consuming job if you don’t know the trick.

One method, when they are fresh, is to pressure cook it for 5 to 7 minutes, drain and spread on a plate to dry. If they are wet, you won’t be able to remove skin as the seed will be very slippery. After some time, cover with another plate and invert the whole thing so that the lower wet sides are now on top and let it dry again. Now it is easy to remove the outer skin with a knife and then they are cut.

Second method: If you can dry the seeds for a couple of days, the outer skin will become loose and can be easily removed using a knife. Now pressure cook them for about 8 minutes. Cool, open the pressure cooker, drain the seed and cut.

Thirdly, you can roast the seeds on a thava or thick bottomed pan for sometime and then on cooling the skin can come off easily.

Jackfruit seeds, spinach cheera thoran (Chakkakuru kozhuppan cheera thoran)

The leafy vegetable that we use a lot in Kerala called ‘kozhuppan cheera’ has multiple names as spinach cheera, sambar cheera and Ceylon spinach.

The leaves, as well as stems, are edible. It is considered to have immense health benefits for eyes, hair and skin. It is a rich source of vitamins and minerals, Vitamin A and Vitamin E are the major vitamins and iron and calcium are the major minerals seen in this spinach-cheera. The young shoots are nutritious and contain carotenoids, triterpenes, saponins and flavonoids.

In India, all parts of this plant are considered as a folk medicine and used for many disease conditions. Several studies have shown that it has some anti-ulcerative properties. It is also a home remedy for piles. The roots of this plant are used for stomach problems and its leaves are made into a decoction to treat hypertension and itchy skin.

Jackfruit seeds are also highly nutritious. They have been associated with a number of health benefits, including improved digestion and cholesterol levels. I have grown up eating jackfruit seeds and kozhuppan cheera thoran a lot.

Ingredients

2 cups skinned, pressure cooked (for 8 minutes) jackfruit seeds cut into small pieces

1 bunch of washed and cleaned spinach cheera cut

Salt to taste

To grind:

¾ cup grated coconut

½ tsp cumin seeds

4 cloves of garlic

½ tsp turmeric powder

To temper:

1 tbsp coconut oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

4 broken pieces of red chilli

Instruction

-          Grind the grated coconut with other ingredients and keep aside.

-          Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the broken chilli pieces, then the cut spinach cheera.

-          Stir on medium flame and this will cook in a few minutes.

-          Add the cooked, cut jackfruit seeds along with salt and keep on low flame for two minutes. May sprinkle some water now.

-          Add the ground coconut, cover and after a minute, remove from fire.

-          It is a great accompaniment with steamed rice and sambar or dal.

Instant jowar dosa

This is very easy to prepare and is light on the stomach than the jowar roti.

        Instant jowar dosa, methi leaves sabzi, jackfruit seeds cheera thoran, mungodi sabzi and pickle

Ingredients

1 cup jowar flour (for four dosas)

1 tbsp rice flour

1 tbsp sooji

½ tsp cumin seeds

Salt to taste

2 cups water

2 tbsps ghee

Instruction

-Mix all the ingredients except the ghee to a smooth batter of flowing consistency.

-Heat a non-stick pan on medium flame, drizzle some ghee over the pan and pour the batter.

- When it is almost cooked, pour some ghee over the surface.

- Fold twice and remove from the pan when it turns crispy.

- It can be served with coconut chutney for breakfast. Also for lunch with sabzi and dal.

Aviyal

Aviyal and sambar are two Kerala dishes which can be prepared with a variety of vegetables, all together or in different combinations. Specific aviyal preparations of 1. Raw jackfruit and seeds 2. Drumstick and jackfruit seeds 3. Drumstick and potato, all have different flavours to relish.

In general, grated coconut is ground with garlic, turmeric powder and cumin seeds to a fine paste, added to the vegetables with salt and sufficient water to cook. Finally, yoghurt and coconut oil is added to give the typical flavour.

Ingredients for drumstick, jackfruit seeds aviyal

3 drumsticks cleaned, split lengthwise and cut into three inch long pieces.

1 cup Jackfruit seeds skinned, cut lengthwise

Some curry leaves

2 green chillies

1 cup water

2 tbsps yoghurt

1 tbsp coconut oil

To grind

½ cup grated coconut

5 cloves of garlic

½ tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp turmeric powder

Instruction

-          Take the cut drumsticks, jackfruit seeds, ground coconut paste, salt, curry leaves and green chillies in a cooking vessel. Add the water, mix well and put on medium fire. When it starts boiling, reduce the flame to low and cook for about 8- 10 minutes till it is done.

-          Beat the yoghurt, add to the vegetables and mix well.

-          Pour the coconut oil over the surface, close with a lid and remove from fire.

-          Enjoy with steamed rice and dal!

Lemon rice

This is a nice tangy rice dish that can be served with yoghurt, pickle or green chutney and papad.

Ingredients

1 cup rice cooked

1 tbsp ghee

½ tsp mustard seeds

A pinch of asafoetida

2 tbsps roasted peanuts

½ tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

½ of a lemon

1 tbsp cut coriander leaves

Instruction

-          Heat ghee in a pan, add mustard seeds. When they crackle, reduce the flame to minimum, add the asafoetida, roasted peanuts, stir for a minute and add turmeric powder, salt and the cooked rice.

-          Mix together well and remove from fire.

-          Garnish with cut coriander leaves.

Lady's finger (Okra) in coconut milk

I find lady's finger a very soothing vegetable and kind to the stomach. As a child I used to love this preparation of okra in coconut milk. Lady's finger is low in Saturated Fat and Sodium, and very low in Cholesterol. It is a good source of Protein, Riboflavin, Niacin, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Magnesium and Manganese.

Ingredients

10 lady's fingers longitudinally slit ad cut into one inch long pieces

1 small onion cut

A few curry leaves

1 green chilli

Salt to taste

1 tbsp coconut oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

1 cup coconut milk

Instruction

-          Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cut onion. Don’t wait for it to brown, within a minute add the curry leaves, green chilli and the lady's finger pieces.

-          Let it cook on medium flame, stirring occasionally.

-          Reduce the flame to low, add the coconut milk and salt. Stir and remove from fire.

-          Serve with steamed rice

Onion paratha

Ingredients

2 cups of wheat flour- for 4 parathas

1 medium sized onion

Salt to taste

½ tsp ajwain

1/3 tsp turmeric powder

1/3 tsp red chilli powder

1 tbsp ghee

1 ½ cups warm water

Instruction

-          Peel and grate the onion.

-          Add the grated onion, ajwain, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt, and ghee to the wheat flour and mix well.

-          Add water slowly and knead into smooth dough.

-          Make four balls. Flatten each ball a little, smear a bit of ghee in the center, pull from all sides, join at the center and flatten into a round.

-          Put on a hot thava. When slightly cooked, turn it upside down and apply ghee on the surface.

-          Turn gain and apply ghee. Press on the top and rotate till it is cooked crispy and remove from the thava.

Onion parathas with dal makhani and carrot green peas sabzi. They can be served with butter for breakfast.

Stuffed brinjal (Bharwa Baingan)

For those who love brinjals, here is an easy, fast and super tasty dish!

Ingredients

8 small brinjals

1 ½ cups of roasted peanuts

½ tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seed

6 cloves of garlic

1/3 tsp turmeric powder

¼ tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp coriander powder

Some coriander leaves (optional)

Salt to taste

1tbsp oil

¼ tsp mustard seeds

1/3 tsp cumin seeds

2 green chillies

A few curry leaves

5   cloves of garlic (optional)

3 to 4 cups of water

Instruction

-          Grind the roasted peanuts with cumin seeds, coriander seeds, garlic to a rough powder. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and coriander powder.

-          Add salt and sufficient water to make a coarse paste. Can add coriander leaves at this stage.

-          Clean and slit brinjals into four, fill them with the masala paste. Keep any remaining masala aside.

-          Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, green chillies, curry leaves, garlic (optional), and the brinjals.

-          Cook till the brinjals change color but still somewhat hard, add the remaining masala, 3-4 cups of water and boil till cooked through.

-          Adjust salt, keep stirring so that masala does not stick.

-          Remove from fire and serve with chapatis

                                                           Served with jowar roti

Recipe courtesy - Dr. Anisha Goel

Mango pulissery (Ripe mango preparation in yoghurt)

This is a very delicious dish that tastes awesome with steamed rice.

Ingredients

2 Ripe mangoes, remove the skin and cut into pieces

1 tbsp oil

1/3 tsp cumin seeds

2 green chilli

1 tsp broken mustard seeds

¼ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp coriander powder

¼ tsp dried mango powder

Salt to taste

2 cups of thick yoghurt

To temper:

1 tbsp oil

¼ tsp mustard seeds

 2 red chillies broken to pieces

¼ tsp fenugreek seeds

A few curry leaves

Instruction

-          Heat one tablespoon oil, add cumin seeds, green chillies and broken mustard seeds.

-          Add the mango pieces, stir in between and let it cook.

-          When the mixture thickens, increase stirring and add turmeric powder  chilli powder  coriander powder, dried mango powder and salt.

-          Churn the yoghurt a little and add to this, keep stirring.

-          After about three minutes, remove from fire and season with mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, dried chilli pieces and curry leaves.

Recipe courtesy - Dr. Anisha Goel