Jack fruit Subzi

The jack fruit, a tropical seasonal vegetable known by different names "Phanas" in Marathi, "Enchor" in Bengali.

Its cooked in various different ways but the taste is enjoyed by all who relish this fruit. Its a fruit when ripe and a vegetable when raw.

In Malgav, a small hamlet near Malwan, lived my grandparents and my eldest paternal aunt. They cultivated the many acres of land they owned and on vacations we had a taste of what they grew round the year.

My grandmother was a great cook and after my marriage when I went with my husband to visit her she had cooked the best "Phansachi Bhaji" from a jack fruit just plucked off the tree. I am proud to say that the photograph above is of the very same tree and the fruit was plucked 35 yrs ago. The taste of that vegetable still lingers in my mind. Feel sorry that I never asked her the recipe but I do cook "Phanas" the way it was cooked by my mother and aunt and share the recipe with you.

The peeling and cutting of the fruit is a cumbersome job. If your vegetable vendor offers to do it please take his services even if its for a price. If you are left to carry the operation on your own here is how you go about it.

Take your sharpest knife, oil it. Oil your palms, now cut the fruit, a white sticky gum will flow. Cut slices vertical or horizontal according to the shape of the fruit . Remove the hard centre stem. Then the outer peel. 

Now boil the fruit with 4 tbsp soaked red channa which was soaked overnight and boil in pressure cooker for 4 whistles.

Ingredients:

• 1 jack fruit.
• 4 tbsp black channa soaked overnight..
• 1 tbs red chilli powder.
• 6 tbsp grated coconut.
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds.
• 1onion sliced.
• 1/2 tsp haldi.
• 1/2 tsp peppercorns.
• 3 tbsp oil.
• 1 tsp mustard seeds.
• 1/2 tsp hing

Method:

• Flake the boiled jack fruit and add the boiled channa.
• Make a rough paste of  all the above items except mustard seeds, hing and oil.
• Mix the paste with the jackfruit and add salt to taste
• Heat oil in a vessel when hot, add mustard seeds and hing.
• Add the jack fruit with the masalas and stir fry 
• Put the flame on sim cover the vessel with a lid and keep some water on the lid to give the vegetable one steam.
• When it steams after a few mins put off the flame.

Enjoy this delicacy with soft phulkas brushed with pure ghee.

Assure you, it will transport you to the palm fringed Konkan. 
 

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