CURRY AND SPICE: MANGSHOR MOSHOLAI ECHOR

My heart & soul was eager to share this recipe with raw jackfruit; MANGSHOR MOSHOLAI ECHOR. I had picked it up from the neighbourhood roadside and prepared it using spices we use for a normal chicken or mutton curry. Thats how many families in West Bengal and one of it's neighbouring states do. Although we call it "gach patha"; that is vegetarian mutton, my family never use onion-garlic in it. I used for the first time and we loved it. During this lockdown crisis, it seemed to me a bliss. I cannot have "matar-gazar sabzi" kind of veggies, I need "thor, mocha, echor, chalkumra, kakrol, potol" on a regular basis in my life. If any northern Indian is reading this, please do not take it to your heart. I equally enjoy "muli, baingan, lauki, bhindi, gobi, palak." My problem lies elsewhere. Out of fear, I am visiting the local wet market very rare. I am totally against buying vegetables, meat, fish from the supermarkets; where is the variety? I do not like packeted vegetables delivered online; what is the point if I cannot handpick each of the produce? I do not sound wise during such a crisis, right? I am not one either. Yesterday, for lunch I prepared an oats bread and baked a whole chicken that the rest in the family so enjoy; I was feeling uncomfortable the entire day until I had my kind of dinner with "kucho chingri diye lau ghonto, squash diye egg drop jhol, tomato-dhonepata diye mushurir dal."

Anyway, the bread did not turn out well yesterday, the amount of yeast was more, the marination for chicken I felt was overpowering. Spices in chicken is absolutely putting me off in the recent years. Before our dinner, back from my walk we had a fight; why? I wanted to watch something together whilst sipping Cristine made kalamansi juice infused iced tea back from a 5.3km walk. He enjoys stand up comedy; I totally dislike, they use slang.

I think we should wipe our cell phones and ear phones back home with disinfectant wipes. Here too I am facing problems. I buy wipes, shampoo, soap, hair colour from stores in the interiors at cheaper rates, they are all closed and we have to buy from the super market at malls at a bit higher price. Yet, it is not okay to refute the authorities, not okay to crowd at a mosque or temple or at "Pati Pukur Maacher Arot", I too do not like fish fillets, frozen or fresh; if I can manage, why cannot you? Divert your minds to fruitful something; say something like trying to germinate kalamansi seeds?

Anyway, below is the jackfruit I had picked up from the roadside and cooked it with lots of love.

Actually, Cristine did the major work. I failed to cut off the hard skin with a knife given I cannot work with "boti." Cristine did it with the cheap star me bought cheap quality knife. I cooked it for a longer period and fried kochuri the day before; served all three of them and myself a lovely dinner.

Tonight, we shall have the rest of the MANGSHOR MOSHOLAI ECHOR with "bhaat, bhindir torkari, dal, data aar gathi kochu diye loitta shutkir torkari." I know how people will lap off the "shutki bhaat" tonight; that gives me some reason to smile; to continue living!

INGREDIENTS :

RAW JACKFRUIT / ECHOR : A MEDIUM SIZED [BEST IF YOU CAN BUY DRESSED, WITHOUT SKIN; PLEASE NOT TINNED]
POTATO : 1 BIG, SKIN OFF, CUT INTO 8 PIECES
CHOPPED TOMATO : 1SMALL TEA CUP
ONION PASTE : 1MEDIUM TEA CUP
GARLIC PASTE : 1/2 SMALL TEA CUP
GINGER PASTE : 2TBSP
SLITTED GREEN CHILLI : 3-4
CUMIN POWDER : 1TBSP
CORIANDER POWDER : 1/2TBSP
RED CHILLI POWDER : 2TSP
TURMERIC POWDER : 1/2TSP +1/2TSP
CINNAMON POWDER : 1/2TSP
GREEN CARDAMOM POWDER : 1/4TSP
CLOVE POWDER : A PINCH OR TWO
CUMIN SEED : 1/4TSP
BAYLEAF : 1
CINNAMON STICK : 2-3 SMALL
GREEN CARDAMOM : 3-4
CLOVE : 3-4
SUGAR : 2TSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
GHEE / CLARIFIED BUTTER : 11/2TBSP
OIL : 4-5TBSP

PROCEDURE :

I found it too difficult to cut off the hard skin, Cristine did it for me. I usually buy skin off, fresh echor from the Indian wet market or Mustafa Centre. However, these way younger, whole raw fruit makes sense, way tastier.

Once the skin was off, discarding the very hard mid section was not a problem. Okay, in the first place; we will grease our palms, the knife with oil. Fill a bowl with water.

Because this was very young, we did not have to clean the yellow cover of the already grown seeds. So, much time was saved. After cutting off the mid section and skin, we only had to cube them small. Each time I do a little and Cristine does the most part.

Keep them soaked in water for sometime. Transfer the entire thing to a heavy bottomed vessel. Add 1/2tsp turmeric powder and some salt. Put for boil covered keeping little open so that water do not spill with the steam.

Once it has boiled 80%, pass through a colander. Let cool.

We will marinate the washed, peeled, cubed potatoes with little salt & turmeric. I forgot to click it.

Let us heat the oil in a wok and add the cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, green cardamoms, cloves and bay leaf. I avoided frying the potato & boiled raw jackfruit pieces further, managed pretty well you can see.

We will add the onion+garlic+ginger pastes now and stir at low heat for 2-3 minutes.

Add the washed & chopped tomatoes now, the turmeric & salt and stir cook until the tomato melts.

Add the washed, peeled, marinated, cubed potatoes and stir cook at low heat for 3-4 minutes.

Thereafter, we will add the strained, boiled raw jackfruit / echor cubes and fold in well. We will reduce the heat to minimal and and cover cook for 5-6 minutes.