Chips and Sweets From Jackfruit.
About Jack fruit.
Jack fruit is a sweet delicious fruit that packed with many nutrients.
Besides eating jack fruit in its ripe, fresh form, many people cook the raw jack fruit as a vegetable, use it in curries and pickles too. Even the seeds of the jack fruit are eaten in its cooked form. ,
Jack fruit , The jack of all fruits is Kerala's official Fruit.It is seen abundantly in Kerala.
In my backyard there are a variety of fruit trees. Out of them the Jack fruit is the biggest fruit. Jack fruit is of two types .Varicca jack fruit tree and Koozha Jack fruit tree.
Almost all the part of Jack fruit is useful. Using the raw Jack fruit variety of dishes can be made. Chips, Kerala special dishes called puzhukku, Erissery etc can be prepared using both types of Jack fruit. The ripe Jack fruit is very tasty and can be eaten as such.
This fruit is rich with vitamin-C, vitamin-A,Potassium ,Iron, Sodium and Zinc
A variety of sweet dishes can be made using the ripe form. Halwa,and payasam are prepared from varicca jackfruit. We can preserve Jack fruit in the form of Halwa. Using the seeds a variety of dishes can be made. Through this Hub I am trying to describe some Of the common dishes of Kerala
Jack fruit chips.
The best chips that Kerala can offer the world is Jack fruit chips. Even though the process of making chips is time consuming,the taste is explainable. First step is to open the raw fruit then chop off the middle stem and pull out the jack fruit ,then deseed it and slice into thin slices
Ingredients for chips.
Jack fruit- 1 medium size
Oil- 1kg
Salt-to taste
Method of preparation
- · Remove fleshy part of Jack fruit from the seeds and slice them into long strips.
- · Deep fry in oil.
- · Sprinkle some salt water in the oil
- · Deep fry till it turns yellow and crisp
- · When the chips are done keep the fried chips In an air tight container
Making of chips.
Jack fruit Halwa
This special preparation is made using ripe varicca jack fruit This is the traditional sweet dish and the soul of Kerala cuisine. In Kerala it is known as "chakkka varatti". Of course the Preparation is time consuming, but it's worth all the effort and the taste is explainable. Making Halwa is the best method of storing the ripe fruit .
Ingredients for Halwa
Ripe jack fruit- 1 medium size
Jaggery-1 kg
Ghee-1 cup
Cardamom powder-1 tbs
Dried ginger powder-1 tsp
Sugar-2 tbs(for sprinkling on the top when Halwa is done.)
Method of preparation.
- · Clean and deseed the jack fruit.
- · Grind them coarsely using a mixer grinder
- · Heat jaggery along with 1/2 cup water to form a syrup.Strain the syrup for impurities and keep aside
- · Heat a thick bottomed vessel(usually uruli, but anything would do) add ¼ cup ghee, and the jack fruit paste along with the jaggery syrup and cook on medium heat , stirring continuously. Do not increase the heat,to prevent it from sticking to the vessel. Add 1 tsp of ghee,whenever it starts to stick probably in every 15 minutes. …(Use a long handled ladle with a flat end so that our hands will be safe from the hot splutters, when the pulp boils and bubbles over ). Continue the process,until it turns dark brown colored and starts to come from the edges ,Add cardamom powder and dry ginger powder and stir for some more time to get thick and tight Halwa.
- Transfer the Halwa into a plate and mark with a knife to our desired shape. Sprinkle sugar over it and Allow it to cool naturally
- After cooling take out the Halwa and keep it in an airtight container.
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Cook Time
Tips
- The thicker the Halwa(We can make it thicker by stirring a long time by adding ghee till all the water content disappears). ,the richer the taste and longer the shell life .
- In Kerala a special vessel called uruli (made up of bronze )is used to prepare Jack fruit Halwa (Chakka varatti)If it is not available it can be replace by any thick bottomed Pan.
