Baby Jackfruit

Jackfruit tree at our backyard

Jackfruit season starts from early summer. This is February and unripe jackfruits can be seen in the Mumbai vegetable market. Ripe jackfruits can also available at few places. But these are imported from Kerala. In the rest of Maharashtra we start eating jackfruits from early February too but unripe baby jackfruits. :)

Jackfruits (ripe, unripe) are easily available in the market. But if you have one jackfruit tree at your backyard it gives more than sufficient for your family and relatives too. One jackfruit tree can hold as many as 25 to 100 jackfruits each year. And one can be a maximum 95cm in length and 40kg in weight. I guess consuming that many ripe fruits were not possible for any family. This might be the reason where Indian women developed so many tasty recipes of jackfruits.  I will share some of the recipes which I learned and tried.

Lets start with the baby jackfruit dishes that we make.

Remember for these dishes the jackfruit must be baby.  To make all the baby jackfruit dishes first take oil and water in small bowl. Apply gently on your hands. and the knife. Cut the jackfruit in two parts from the steam. and again cut these two parts in another 2 parts. Gently pill off its skin by knife. Remove the thick center portion of the jackfruit. put the pieces in pressure cooker. Pour water and little salt in it. Cook in 2 whistles. Let the cooked jackfruit pieces cool. Chop the pieces into very small up to 1 inch long. Now the cooked baby jackfruit is ready for various recipes. You can do modifications in these as per your taste.

Baby Jackfruit Bhaji 1
Ingredients:

• Raw Jackfruit – 1 (about 3/4th foot in length only. Must be baby)
• Soaked Toor Dal/field beans/black peas – 4 tspns(Optional)
• Onion (medium size) – 1, finely chopped
• Fresh Coconut – grated – 1/2 cup
• Whole Black Peppers – 8 to 10
• Jaggery – 1/2 tsp
• Mustard Seeds  – 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric  – 1/2 tsp
• Asafotida  – 1/2 tsp
• Red Chillies 
• Oil – 1-2 spns
• Salt to taste

Heat oil and add the mustard seeds. After they pop, add the  Asafoetida, and Turmeric. Then add the chopped onion and saute till the onion turns translucent. Add the soaked toor dal or beans or peas if you want and saute some more. If you put any of these lentils add some water (about 1/4th cup) and steam, putting some water on the lid too.
Once the onion and dal is fully cooked, add the chopped jackfruit, red chilly powder and salt.
Then add the ground mix of coconut+peppers and the jaggery, stir till they blend well and steam little.

Baby Jackfruit Bhaji 2

Ingredients:

• Raw Jackfruit – 1 (about 3/4th foot in length only. Must be baby)
• Fresh Coconut – grated – 1/2 cup
• Mustard Seeds  – 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric  – 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida  – 1/2 tsp
• Red Chilies 
• Oil – 1-2 spns
• Salt to taste

Heat oil and fry the red chilies. In the remaining oil add the mustard seeds. After they pop, add the  Asafoetida, and Turmeric. Add the chopped jackfruit. Let it cook for 2 mins. Smash the fried red chilies and sprinkle it on jackfruit. Add salt and let it cook for 2 more mins. While serving sprinkle lot of grated coconut on it. (You can pour the coconut while making too. But as coconut is not fully cooked you have to keep the bhaji in the fridge)

Baby Jackfruit Bhaji 3(Fariyali)

Ingredients:

• Raw Jackfruit – 1 (about 3/4th foot in length only. Must be relay baby)
• Fresh Coconut – grated – 1/2 cup
• Cumin Seeds  – 1/2 tsp
• Red Chilies 
• Oil – 1-2 spns
• Salt to taste

Heat oil and fry the red chilies. In the remaining oil add the Cumin seeds. Add the chopped jackfruit. Let it cook for 2 mins. Smash the fried red chilies and sprinkle it on jackfruit. Add salt and let it cook for 2 more mins. While serving sprinkle lot of grated coconut on it. (You can pour the coconut while making too. But as coconut is not fully cooked you have to keep the bhaji in the fridge)

You can make variations in these recipes as per your taste. If you like add garlic or kokam for taste.

We can make big pieces of these baby jackfruits and can dry in summer by sprinkling salt on it. We can use these dried baby jackfruits to make the above dishes in rainy seasons when jackfruit season was gone.

I hope you like these recipes. As the jackfruit grows and becomes young(not fully ripe) there are other different ways to cook it too. We keep making bhaji of unripe jackfruits till May end. Will share those recipes in another post.