Making the most of jackfruits

Tacos

Mexican touch

Take a culinary trip to Mexico with jackfruit tacos that Prateek Mittal, founder of cheese brand Cremeitalia's, suggests.

Ingredients
>> 1 cup raw jackfruit
>> Sour cream >> 1 onion
>> 4 garlic cloves >> Vegetable broth (as required for cooking the jackfruit)
>> 1 lemon >> Crispy taco shells >> 1 tsp chilli powder >> 1 tsp onion powder >> Salt to taste >> Guacamole to taste >> 1 tbsp oil

Method
In a medium-hot pan, sauté garlic and onion in oil. As onions become translucent, add chopped raw jackfruit. Cook for five minutes and add vegetable broth. Add salt, chilli powder and onion powder, and cook the mixture for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow the jackfruit stuffing to cool down once cooked. Once it cools down, set up your taco shells and fill them with the seasoned jackfruit stuffing. Add Mexican salsa of your choice, guacamole, and some lime juice on the top of the stuffing. Top it up with a dollop of sour cream. Your jackfruit taco shells are ready.

Something sweet

Pair this jackfruit and coconut cream parfait recipe from Hiren Kumar, head chef of Saltt restaurant in Karjat's Oleander Farms, with a pina colada.

Ingredients
>> 100 gm tender coconut cream
>> 100 gm yogurt
>> 150 gm cream cheese
>> 150 gm fresh jackfruit
>> 30 gm brown sugar
>> 10 ml Bacardi white rum (optional)
>> Chopped cashew nuts for garnishing

Method
In a pan, cook jackfruit, brown sugar and white rum till you achieve the required consistency. Then allow it to reach room temperature before cooling in the refrigerator. In a separate bowl, mix curd, melted white chocolate and cream cheese till smooth. Add chopped tender coconut cream and mix well. Layer the Jackfruit coulis, and prepare cream in a clear glass. Serve chilled and topped with nuts.

Odiya classic

Sneha Senapati, who runs the home kitchen Odiya Bhoji, shares a panasa kathal muga dalma recipe that is native to her state.

Ingredients
>> 3/4 cup moong dal
>> 1 cup unripe jackfruit cubes, rubbed with salt and turmeric powder >> 1/2 cup potatoes, diced
>> 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
>> 1 red chilli >> 1 bay leaf >> 1/4 tsp turmeric powder >> 1 tsp red chilli-cumin powder, toasted >> 1-2 tbsp grated coconut (optional) >> 1/2 tsp panch phoron (optional)
>> 2 tsp ghee >> Salt as needed
>> 2 cups water

Method
In a pan, first dry-roast the moong dal till light brown. Transfer the roasted moong dal to a bowl containing water and wash it properly. Keep aside. Take a pressure cooker, and once heated, add ghee, bay leaf, whole red chillies, cumin seeds or panch phoron and allow to crackle. Add the roasted moong dal to the pressure cooker and stir well. Next, add potato cubes, jackfruit cubes, turmeric powder and salt. Stir everything, add water, close the lid and allow to cook over low-medium heat till one whistle. Turn off the heat and keep aside to release the gas automatically. Now, heat oil in a small pan and add cumin seeds, allowing them to crackle. Pour this tempering into the pressure cooker. Place the pressure cooker over a gas flame again and allow to cook for three to four minutes without the lid. Add some grated coconut and give a nice stir. Turn off the heat and sprinkle roasted red chilli-cumin powder. Serve this moong dal panasa katha dalma hot, along with steamed rice.

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