Idichakka Thoran - Green Jackfruit Stir Fry

 A few weeks ago, the family and I visited a "New Age" cafe where they were spruiking "pulled jackfruit" burgers as the new vegan go to food - that tasted even better than meat. The Keralite in me came out - and I decided I was going to order that, against my husband's wise advice. The pulled jackfruit was extremely disappointing leaving me craving for the real thing. I find it really annoying that people, including me, fall for such marketing ploys and then end up hating a perfectly great dish.

Of course, I could never hate the jackfruit - it is one of my favorite fruits.  And I know exactly what it could taste like if done properly.  

On that note, as I walked past my green grocer a couple of days back, I spotted green / unripe jackfruits. I immediately picked up a piece and brought it home. Finally my craving could be satiated.

On that note, let us move on to the Idichakka Thoran. Sure, it looks like pulled pork.  But this dish has been around for decades before pulled pork became fashionable. Most people in Kerala have a jackfruit tree in their back yard - and we did too. And this dish has been a staple of many households for decades.

Ingredients:

About a kilo of green jackfruit, skin on

1 cup shredded coconut or fresh coconut pieces

5 cloves garlic

7-8 shallots or 1/2 a red onion

2 green chillies ( reduce or increase according to taste)

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder

1 teaspoon freshly ground cummin

1 tablespoon oil (traditionally coconut oil is used, but I used olive oil)

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 stalk curry leaves

1 or 2 dry red chillies

First Step:

 

Wash, peel and cut the jackfruit into big chunks. Use a sharp knife and just get the prickly green portion of the jackfruit out:

Place the chunks in a pot, add water, a pinch of salt and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder. Boil for about 20 minutes until the chunks are about 80% cooked.

While the jackfruit is cooking, prepare the spices. Using a grinder, roughly pulse the coconut, onion, green chillies and garlic. Remember, do not grind finely, we want texture.

Next add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, chilli powder and cumin powder and mix with the ground coconut mix:

Meanwhile, your jackfruit will be almost ready to take off the stove. You should be able to slice it with a wooden spoon.  Once it reaches that stage, take it off the flame, drain the water and let the pieces cool down.

Once the peices are cooled, cut them into smaller chunks:

Again, use your blender and pulse the pieces a few at a time and get a plate full of shredded jackfruit:

I am only making my dish with half of the shredded jackfruit.  I placed half the quantity into a zip lock bag and put it in the freezer for another time. 

Final step:

Heat a wok, add oil and put the mustard seeds in.  When they crackle, add the ground coconut and spice mix. Saute for a minute or so.  Then add the shredded jackfruit. Mix well. Add a sprinkling of water and salt. Cover the wok and let it cook for about 5 to 10 minutes on a low flame. You must keep checking to see that it doesn't get burnt at the bottom. The final product is meant to be dry and fluffy and meaty.

Serve hot with rice and dal or chappaties and dal. It is a satisfying meal.