The jackfruit sapling, that Dada and I discovered quite accidentally during one of our evening hide-and-seek sessions, is now in her prime. Laden with luscious fruit.
We had dragged Grandma, reading her ancient Ramayana with its yellow mothballed pages and a red hardbound cover, to come and check. What is this plant Grandma ? And where did this come from ? We had quizzed.
Grandma was an encyclopaedia on trees, she knew them all, when they flowered, when they bore fruit, how to preserve seeds, anything and everything. And nurtured them as her children. That’s a jackfruit tree, Grandma told us in her matter-of-fact tone, but who planted it ?
Manik kaka was called for. While he did verify with a sagacious nod that it was a jackfruit sapling, he too had no clue where it had come from.
Nevertheless, the sapling was watered every day and tended to lovingly. Dada and I waited with bated breath for the first fruit to appear.
And in the meantime, Grandma regaled us with stories of her childhood, of black bear, intoxicated after a sinful feast on mahua, foraying into backyards to gorge on ripe jackfruit. We would be dead scared. And discover tufts of black fur all over the garden the next morning, she would declare almost theatrically. Bear love jackfruit. And mahua of course.
For quite a while, Dada and I were too intimidated to venture out after sunset into the garden, lest an adventurous black bear, addicted to jackfruit, come visiting by.
Of course there were no bears in our village. But the children in us were blissful in our ignorance.
And it suited Maa and Grandma just perfectly to ensure we were indoors by sunset, something that was otherwise an arduous struggle, at least with Dada.
And it’s these fleeting images that play in my mind as I shape my enchor cutlet this afternoon. Nostalgia. Sweet nostalgia.
Enchor cutlet. Green jackfruit and cholar dal cooked with ginger. Peanuts for the crunch. Chilies for the heat. Roasted cumin for that earthy perfume. Dipped in batter and deep fried.
Pure sin !!!!
Enjoy as grey winter ebbs away and we move into jackfruit season !!!
Enchor Cutlet (Green Jackfruit Cutlet)
Ingredients
- 250 g enchor or green jackfruit cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup cholar dal or bengal gram
- 3 tbsp peanuts
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp turemeric powder
- 2 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 3 tbsp green chili chopped
- 1/4 cup coriander leaves chopped
- 1.5 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- salt to taste
- 4 tbsp besan
- breadcrumbs for coating
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Soak the cholar dal overnight. Boil till just cooked, taking care that the dal is not mushy. Mash the lentils and keep aside.
- Pressure cook the raw jackfruit cubes in a little water. One whistle I would reckon. Drain from water, chop into small pieces and keep aside.
- Dry roast the peanuts, keep aside.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add the chopped green chillies and ginger paste, saute for a minute or two.
- Add the dal, jackfruit, turmeric powder, sugar and salt. Cook over a low flame, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 odd minutes.
- Sprinkle in the roasted cumin powder, add the peanuts and chopped coriander leaves. Adjust the seasonings. Give it a hearty stir and cook for another odd 3-4 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature. Lightly mash it with a masher.
- Shape the jackfruit mixture into cutlets as shown in the picture, keep aside.
- Dissolve the besan in a little water to form a thin batter. Dip the cutlets, one at a time, into the besan batter. Coat gently with breadcrumbs. Keep aside in the refrigerator for 30 odd minutes.
- Heat oil in a pan, deep fry till golden. Keep on a kitchen absorbent towel to soak up the extra oil. Serve hot with kasundi.
Just last week I got a packet of green jackfruit or enchor , I wanted to make it just like we had at home , enchor chingri or something , but now looking at this recipe , I am in dilemma 🙂
Enchor chingri is me favorite too. What you have cooked finally?