Echorer Dalna (Jackfruit curry)

 

 About the food:

Raw jackfruit curry is very unique and is one of the traditional and favourite vegetarian dish among Bengalis. It is rightly so, since the the soft and suppleness of the raw fruit combines with the delicate flavours of bengali cooking to produce a dish exploding with rich aroma and colours. Raw jackfruit is nick named as 'gach patha': meaning a vegetarian meat, for all the flavours and textures inherent to it.

Living abroad for a very long time, at all time I had been craving for this favourite dish of mine. The wait is finally over, since I could finally have this vegetable in frozen form, in UK (Check Nikasu Frozen Foods for details). Best part of it being frozen is it does not have to be cut and chopped, which is the most difficult and tedious part of preparing this dish. So, venture this recipe, and I am sure you would taste an exquisite dish which will bring delightness to your palate!


Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 40 mins
Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 medium size raw jackfruit (2 packs, if using frozen).
2 medium onions, preferably red, chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced, in rectangular shapes, 1 inches dimensions.
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1/2 tablespoon garlic paste
3 tbsp tomato puree
1 tablespoon turmeric powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil/mustard oil
2-4 green chillies

1 bayleaf

1/2 teaspoon cumin whole

1/2 tablespoon cumin powder

1/2 tablespoon coriander powder

1/2 tablespoon garam masala powder (a mix of cloves, cardomon and cinnamon, dry roasted and fine grinded)

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 tablespoon kashmiri red chilli powder or cayenne powder 

2 tablespoon ghee/clarified butter

salt to taste

Method:

1. Cutting and chopping this fruit is the most difficult part to prepare this dish: oil your palm and the knife well, remove the hard outer shell of the jackfruit, and chop it into small chunky pieces, 1inch x 1inch x 1inch. Put the cut pieces in a bowl filled with water, to prevent oxidation. Your hand may become very sticky, but it can be removed by rubbing oil.  If using a frozen fruit, you can bypass this most tedious part, and the fruit pieces are ready to be cooked.

2. When using fresh fruit: Boil the pieces in pressure cooker over meduim flame and wait for 4-5 whistles. Drain the fruit pieces a collander. 

    When using Frozen:     Defrost the pieces thoroughly in a microwave.

Mix them with 1/4 tablespoon of turmeric powder and salt.

3. Heat the oil in a deep pan. When the oil starts to smoulder, add the cumin seeds, bay leaf and the green chillies (if using), fry them for about 30 seconds. Add the cumin powder and coriander powder and stir for another 30 seconds.

4. Add the chopped onions and keep frying until soft. Add the tomato puree, ginger and garlic paste, and continue cooking until the oil has separated.

5. Meanwhile peel the potatoes and cut them into chunky cubes of 1inch x 1 inch, wash and drain. For easy and quick cooking, place them inside a plastic bag, pierce the bag in a few places with a knife and cook in a microwave for about 4 minutes. The potatoes should be soft, but not fully cooked.

6. Put the potato pieces in the pan and mix them well with the fried masala. Add the jackfruit pieces and keep stirring. Add turmeric powder, salt, sugar and cayenne powder and keep mixing. Take care not to break the jackfruit or potato pieces. After 3 minutes, add 1 cup of water and put the lid on. After the water boils, cook on low flame for about 10 minutes. Check at a mid-point that the pieces are not overcooked. Add some more water if the curry becomes very dry. Adjust the cooking time until the potatoes and the jackfruit becomes fully cooked.

7. The cooked curry should not be dry, and yet not entirely runny. Add the garam masala powder when the desired consistency is reached and add the ghee. Put the lid on for a few minutes, serve hot with rice and enjoy!