RAW JACKFRUIT KOFTA CURRY / ECHORER KOFTA JHOL

Jackfruit... when raw we call it 'echor' and when ripe it is called 'kathal'. In my parental home, it is loved too much both ways. During the months of May- July, it is found in abundance at my native place. In this island too it is popular. In our home, we started having it as soon as the raw ones started flooding the market. Among us, it's curry is cooked just as a meat curry with lots of garam masala and a dollop of ghee, lovingly calling it 'niramish pathar jhol', meaning 'vegetarian mutton curry'.

Coming to the ripe ones, it has a strong smell. Many homes do not like it for that reason, but in our home it was / is much loved. Our daddy loves it in all forms. Mani used to extract the juice from the ripe jackfruit and prepare a kheer from it which the daddy loved with puffed rice and Indian breads. I remember there were two jackfruit trees in our maternal grandparent's home. They were full of the fruits by May-June. Once they just started ripening, the biggest one would travel all the way 100 km to our home in Kolkata. We couldn't finish it before a week. Dadu [the maternal grandfather] and our maternal uncles took special care of each of the trees in the garden themselves. Life was relaxed, families were close knit then, different from what it is today.

Introduction of Echorer Kofta in our home was made perhaps by our mother. She and the grandmother even used the dried seeds of ripe jackfruit in different other veggies. Here too we get jackfruit a lot, both raw and ripe. Nonetheless to say, cooking it has become effortless with  the vegetable being sold with the hard skin scrapped. We only have to discard the outer cover of the seeds, cut it into cubes, wash and cook. Day before yesterday I cooked a kofta curry with raw jackfruit. Let us do it.

INGREDIENTS :[for the kofta]

Raw Jackfruit : 300-400gm or a medium sized
Potato : 1medium
Green Chilli : 2
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Gram Flour : 1-2tbsp
Sugar : 1/2tsp
Salt : As required
Cumin Seed : 1/4tsp
Oil : 1/2cup[to fry the koftas]

INGREDIENTS :[for the curry]

Plain Yogurt : 1medium cup
Ginger Paste : 1tbsp
Cumin Powder : 1tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Cinnamon Powder : 3pinches
Cardamom Powder : 2pinches
Cumin Seeds : 2pinches
Bayleaf : 1
Salt : As Required
Ghee[clarified butter] : 1tsp
Oil : 2tbsp

METHOD :

Rub your hands with a little of oil to start with. If we cannot get skinless raw jackfruit from the market, we have to grease our knife with oil and cut off the thick, green skin of it. We have to retain the fleshy portion and cut off the rest of the mid hard section. We would take out the seeds, they are to be used. We will discard the yellowish cover off the seeds and wash nicely.

Wash a potato, prick all over with a fork and place on a plate. Place the plate inside the microwave oven and cook at high for 2 minutes. Take out, cool and peel. Add the  jackfruit pieces in the pressure cooker. Add a little of salt and a pinch of turmeric powder. Add a cup of water. Pressure cook up to one whistle. Let cool.

Strain the water, transfer the boiled vegetable pieces to a bowl. Mash together both the vegetables. 

Heat the oil in a wok. Chop the green chillies and add to it. Add the roasted cumin seed, salt, turmeric, sugar. Add the mashed vegetable mixture and stir cook until the water dries up.

Add the gram flour, fold in well and stir cook for 2 minutes. Once cool, tear off portions, shape as you desire and refrigerate for 2 hours. I do this to avoid breakage.

Take the koftas out. Heat the oil in a wok. Fry both the sides of the koftas until they are light brown.

Leave 2 tbsp oil in the wok and take out the rest.

Temper with a bayleaf and cumin seeds.

Add the ginger paste and fry for 2 minutes. Beat the yogurt and add. Stir for a minute. Add the cumin powder, salt, turmeric and red chilli powder. Stir for 1/2 a minute.

Add a cup of water and bring to boil. Let boil for 3-4 minutes. Add the cinnamon and cardamom powder, ghee. Let cook for a minute.

Arrange the koftas in a serving bowl. Pour the gravy on them half an hour before you serve the dish. Let the koftas soak in the gravy for sometime before serving. For that just reheat it before you eat.

Enjoy as you wish with rice or chapati!