Chakka kuru Koottu

This is another famous side dish again for rice made with the chakka kurus (jackfruit seeds).
It seems in earlier days there were only 2 ways of using this chakka kuru. One was that these chakka kurus were dried completely and then powdered and stored and used in drinks or along with kanji in the rainy season.

The other way was to directly roast it in flame and eat it similar to cashewnuts. I haven't tasted both ways yet. I made this koottu in the normal way added a lot of vegetables along with chakka kurus. I served it with rice but I personally had it with chapathis and loved it. IT was a delicious accompaniment for chapathis since I made it little semi-solid.

Ingredients:

Chakka kurus (jackfruit seeds) - 1/2 cup
Other vegetables - 1 cup *
Coconut (grated) - 1/2 cup
Jeera seeds - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 2 nos
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

To Temper:

Oil - 1 tsp
mustard - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few

Other vegetables - carrot, peas, cucumber (vellari)

Method:

• Pressure cook the vegetables along with salt and turmeric powder. Add very little water since other than chakka kuru - the other vegetables would ooze out water.
• Grind the coconut, jeera and red chillies with little water.
• Once the pressure is released, open the cooker and add the ground paste. Mix well and check for salt.
• Boil the mixture. I did not add more water since I made this as a side dish for rice. If required more water can be added to dilute it into a gravy.
• Temper with the ingredients given under "To Temper".

Koottu is ready!!! I Served it with rice, rasam and appalam.

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Chakka kuru manga curry

Yesterday when I posted chakka kuru upperi, most of them commented saying they are used to chakka kuru curry. Yes of course this is a very famous curry in the summer season since chakka (jackfruit) and manga (raw mangoes) are available in plenty!!!

I added drumsticks to the curry to make the curry more interesting. This is a very fabulous curry - just serve it with rice and a thoran of your choice. We also love to have this curry with dosa since it has a nice tangy flavor.

Ingredients:

Chakka Kuru (jackfruit seeds) - 1 cup

Drumsticks - 2 nos

Ram mango - 1/2 

Coconut (grated) - 1/2 cup

Garlic - 4 pods

Green chillies - 2 nos

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp

mustard - 1/2 tsp

Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Method:

• Chop the drumsticks, chakka kuru and raw mango.
• Pressure cook the chakka kuru and raw mango together with salt and turmeric powder for one whistle (add 1 cup water). You can alternatively cook it in stove top also in a closed container with enough water.
• Microwave the drumstick pieces for about 4 minutes so that they are 75% cooked. I find that when drumsticks are pressure cooked, they become very mushy and break. So I microwave them so that they don't lose the shape.
• Meanwhile grind the grated coconut, garlic pods and green chillies into a fine paste by adding little water.

• Once the pressure is released, open the pressure cooker, add the ground paste, cooked drumstick pieces and 1/2 cup water and mix well. Check for salt and boil the gravy. When the gravy starts bubbling up from the sides switch off the stove.
• The gravy will thicken after some time so make it a little diluted.
• In a kadai pour oil, add mustard seeds. Once mustard splutters add the fenugreek seeds and curry leaves. Pour this on the gravy and mix well.

Chakka kuru manga curry is ready!!! Enjoy with rice and a thoran of your choice. Pappadam will be a good accompaniment.

Note:

You can avoid the garlic in this curry.

This curry can also be made without raw mango. In that case for sourness add sour curd with the coconut and grind.

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Chakka Kuru Upperi

This week for BM I have selected "Seasonal produce on spotlight" and the sesonal veggie that I have selected is Jackfruit. Surprised!!! how can a fruit be a veggie? Well in kerala the raw form of Jackfruit is largely used as a vegetable. But for this week's BM I will not be sharing recipes of raw jackfruit rather I will be sharing recipes of jackfruit seeds. Isn't that interesting?

Jackfruit seeds has a lot of medicinal properties which is probably unknown to many people. It is high in protein, has some anti-cancer nutrients, it has lot of vitamin-A so good for eyes. It seems powdered jackfruit seeds can help get instant relief from indigestion. Offlate I also heard that powdered jackfruit seeds are promoted to lower diabetes.

In general, the seeds are gathered from the ripe fruit during summer, sun-dried and stored for use in rainy season in many parts of South-Indian states. The jackfruit seeds can be used from raw jackfruit as well as ripe jackfruit. When the seeds is removed it will look very shiny. Keep it in sun for a day and you will see a thick white coating. Remove this coating just before you cook the jackfruit seeds. Or else store it in a dry place. The jackfruit seeds attracts fungus - so remember to store it in a dry place.

Ingredients:

Jackfruit seeds - 1 cup
Coconut - 2 tbsp (grated)
Oil - 1 tbsp
mustard - 1/2 tsp
Green chillies - 2 nos
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Salt - to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Remove the skin of Jackfruit seeds. Cut them lengthwise.

In a pressure cooker Add the jackfruit seeds, one cup water, salt and turmeric powder and cook for one whistle.

Note: Jackfruit seeds don't ooze out water unlike other vegetables. They consume water while cooking.

Grind coarsely coconut, jeera, green chillies.

In a kadai, add oil and mustard seeds. Once mustard splutters, add the curry leaves and the ground coconut. Fry for a minute.

Add the cooked jackfruit seeds, and mix well. Ceck for salt and cook for 2 minutes over medium flame.

Chakka kuru upperi is ready!!! Serve with rice and sambar or any other gravy.

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