PONSA AMBAT(SWEET JACKFRUIT CURRY)

PONSA  AMBAT(SWEET JACKFRUIT CURRY)

This dish is mostly prepared during jackfruit season and is a delicacy amongst Konkanies.

Ingredients:

ripe jackfruit bulbs-250gms,

jaggery-150gms,

chana dal-1cup,

cashew nuts-10,

salt-1/4tsp,

mustard seeds-1tsp,

jeera-1tsp,

coconut scrapings-1cup,

red chillis-2 ,

turmeric powder-1/8tsp,

oil-1tsp and

curry leaves.

Method:

Cook chana dal in a pressure cooker using 2 cups of water to a smooth texture.

Cut the ripe jackfruit bulbs, minus the seeds, to small pieces.

Mix dal and jaggery and cook till the jaggery is dissolved.

Split the cashews and add it to the above.

Grind coconut scrapings, chillis and turmeric powder to a very fine paste(masala).

Add this masala and salt to the dal and jaggery mix and cook for 5mts on a low flame.

Add water, if necessary, to have semi-fluid consistency for the preparation.

Add the jackfruit pieces and cook for a minute(Ripe jackfruit needs very little time for cooking).

Mix well and remove from the flame.

Do phannu(season)  with mustard seeds, jeera and curry leaves in oil.

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BIKKANDA PURNAPOLI(JACKFRUIT SEED PURANPOLI)

BIKKANDA PURNAPOLI(JACKFRUIT SEED PURANPOLI)

The normal purnapoli(puranpoli) is made from chana dal. It can also be made using  jackfruit seeds and it also tastes great as is in the case of normal purnapolis.. Konkani community in their skills of turning every vegetable/leaves to bring out the best in nutrition and cuisine, uses jackfruit seeds , which are generally discarded , to bring out a unique sweet dish like purnapoli.

Ingredients:

jackfruit seeds(properly skinned)-200gms,

sugar-200gms,

maida(flour)-200gms,

salt-a pinch,

ghee-1/2 cup and

cardamom powder-1tsp.

Method:

Remove the outer (white and brittle) skin of the seeds and soak in water for 2 hrs.

On soaking, scrape completely the inner brown skin. 

Cook the seeds in a pressure cooker for 10 mts. Grind the seeds in a mixer to a smooth consistency(paste), using very small quantity of water..

Heat a frying pan and empty out the  paste and sugar into it. Cook it on a medium flame.When it starts sticking to the pan, add ghee, little by little, till it becomes thick and properly done.

Shut down the flame and add cardamom powder. Once cooled, make small  lemon size balls.

Knead maida with salt and little ghee and make a soft dough. Keep it for one hour. Make small puris with the dough, place the lemon size roasted seed balls on the puris. Completely enclose and seal the balls with puris.

Roll it slowly without cracks to chappati shape and roast it on both sides on a pan with a little ghee  applied on both sides as is being done in the case of normal purnapolis.

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PONSA KAKKAMBI(JACKFRUIT KHEER)

PONSA KAKKAMBI(JACKFRUIT KHEER)

This is a delicacy amongst Konkanies and is made from ripe sweet jackfruit. Besides being a favourite dessert recipe during marriage and religious functions, it is  also a favoured paysu(kheer) during temple festivals. It is so tasty and so much inviting that  it invariably calls for a second helping and sometimes even a third helping. 

Ingredients: 

ripe sweet jackfruit bulbs( after deseeding and de-ragging the outer)-20,

raw rice-1 cup,

jaggery-1 cup,

coconut milk(first extract or ready-made)-1 cup,

(One coconut is required for extracting 1 cup of first extract of milk and corresponding quanties of second and third extracts of milk – Please refer tag ‘ COCONUT ” for details on extracting coconut milk.)

cashewnuts-10 and

cardamom powder-1 tsp.

Method:

Cook rice using  the 2nd and 3rd milk extracts  of  the coconut.

Add jaggery and  cashewnuts and cook till the jaggery is dissolved. 

Add the jackfruit bulbs(cut into 2 pieces) and  the first  milk extract and cook just for 2 mts.

Switch off the flame and add cardamom powder. Kheer is ready.

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PONSA HALVO(JACKFRUIT HALWA)

PONSA  HALVO(JACKFRUIT HALWA)

 

Ponos(Jackfruit) is basically a tropical fruit and Konkanis make the best use of this fruit cum vegetable. Almost all the parts of the jackfruit are used in some form or other by Konkanies. You can make different type of curries out of the raw jackfruit as also different types of sweets from the ripe fruit. The edible yellow bulbs of the ripe jackfruit are consumed as it is after removing the light brown seeds and the outer white pith and it is a delicacy for the konkanies as in the case of mangoes. The seeds can be roasted and used as a snack or cooked and used for making curries. 

In the season, generally in summer, when it is available in plenty, the ripe yellow bulbs, after removing the brown seeds and the outer stripe-like pith, can be converted into a halwa by roasting in ghee. This halwa has a long shelf-life  and can be stored even for a whole year. A variety of  sweet preparations can be made out of this as and when and as and what the taste buds demand and varieties can be dished out of this , for example,   kheer, panpathali,stuffed and steamed rice balls, etc.

 

Ripe jackfruit should be carefully chosen either for eating its edible ripe bulbs or for making sweet dishes or making the halvo.There are two varieties of ripe jackfruit, one is called tilvo and the other,  borko in Konkani. The former has fibrous, soft , mushy and very sweet yellow bulbs when ripe  and the latter has a crisp and almost crunchy yellow bulbs.The ripe fruit used for eating as it is and for making sweets/kheer, etc should be from the borko variety.The tilvo variety can only be used when it is  raw and for making curries.

The process of preparing the Halvo is very simple and is detailed below.

 

Ingredients:

 

ripe jackfruit-500gms(ripe yellow bulbs after removing seeds and pith),

jaggery-500gms,

cardamom powder-2tsps and

ghee-1/4 cup.

 

Method:

 

In a mixer,  grind  the  fruit to a  course consistency or  the fruit can be cut into very small pieces.  Add jaggery and cook in a pan. When it  comes to a thick consistency, add the ghee  and  fry for about 15 mts  till it is well roasted.   Add cardamom powder and mix well.

 

This can be stored in a fridge for a long time. It can be consumed as it is, or  can be used for making panpathaly, adding  little fresh coconut scrapings and for making  jackfruit  paysu/kheer, etc.

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