JACKFRUIT is an easy crop to grow. It requires no artificial fertilizers, pesticides or even irrigation. All parts of the fruit, except the stalk, can be converted into food.

It is nutritious as well. One hundred grams of jackfruit has 303 mg of potassium, an ingredient which helps lower blood pressure. It is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium and high in Vitamin C and manganese. It is an ideal food for weight loss.

Jackfruit contains phytonutrients which reduce the risk from cancer. It has anti-ageing, antioxidant and anti-ulcer properties. The seeds too are edible and nutritious. They contain 38 per cent carbohydrates, 6.6 per cent protein and 0.4 per cent fat.

Here are some recipes for you to try.

Jackfruit idli

Ingredients

For 15 idlis
Ripe jackfruit flakes: 250 grams
White rice: 250 grams
Grated coconut: 1 cup
Salt to taste
Jaggery: Optional

Soak rice for one hour. Mix with jackfruit flakes and grated coconut. If you want your idlis to be sweet, add jaggery. Grind to make a coarse batter. Add salt. Steam in idli cooker.

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Raw jack dosa

Ingredients

For making 15 dosas
Unripe jackfruit flakes: 500 grams
White rice: 100 grams
Salt to taste.

Soak white rice for two hours. Add a little water and grind along with the jack flakes into a smooth paste. Batter has to be thick. Add salt. Make dosa. Tastes well with butter, ghee and fresh coconut chutney.

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Jackfruit halwa

Ingredients

Ripe jackfruit flakes: 1 kg
Sugar: 500 grams
Ghee: 100 ml
Cashew nuts: 10
Steam cook the flakes for 15 minutes.

Finely grind flakes in a mixie. Add sugar. Cook in a utensil. Keep stirring. Add very little ghee in between. When the ghee comes on top, it’s time to stop. Pour into a plate. Add cashew nut pieces and cut to required shape after cooling.

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Jack seed burfi

Ingredients

Milk: 1 litre
Jack seed powder: 100 grams
Sugar: 350 grams
Cardamom: 10 grams

Boil milk. After a while, add sugar and jack seed powder. Keep under low flame. Stir continuously. When ghee rises from the bottom of the vessel, put powdered cardamom. Pour to greased plate. Cut while warm.

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Jackseed vada

Ingredients

Jack seed powder: 3 cups
Flour: Rice/Wheat//Besan/Maida: 4 cups,
Chillies: 4, Onions: 2
Curry leaves: A few
Ginger: Half inch chopped
Salt to taste

Steam cook the jackfruit seeds. Peel the outer cover. Retain the inner brownish skin, it’s nutritious. Powder the seeds after drying. Let the powder be a little coarse. Mix all the ingredients. Press into flat round vadas and deep fry in oil

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Jackfruit Mysore pak

Ingredients

Ripe jackfruit: 1 kg
Besan flour: 500 grams
Sugar: 1.5 kg
Ghee: 500 grams

Grind jackfruit into pulp. Put all ingredients into a utensil and cook under low flame. Keep stirring. Once the ghee rises, it’s time to pour into a plate. Cut to required size while warm. You can make Mysore Pak by replacing jackfruit pulp with jack seed powder. For the above proportions add 2 kg sugar instead of 1.5.

Also read : Rise of the humble Jackfruit

Also read : Jack goes global

August 2009 Edition

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