Thursday, May 31, 2007

Kashmiri Enchor for JFI


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.. Enchor= Unripe Jackfruit in Bengali

So the name intrigues you, you think what does this Bong Girl have to do with Kashmir that too Kashmiri Jackfruit !!! To be truthful even I am clueless. I am a simple Bong girl who has spent about a quarter of her life in the Gangetic Plains. What do I know about the beautiful valley lying between the ranges of the Great Himalayas. More so what do I know about Kashmir and its Jackfruit ?

I know about the Dal Lake and had always dreamt of being on a shikara. I have read about Kashmir in my school geography books and know that it is the “Paradise on earth”. I know about the Pashmina and would love to own a pure Pashmina Shawl.
But that’s it, I had always wanted but somehow a trip to Kashmir never materialized. And my geography is not that fantastic that I would know about Jackfruits growing in Kashmir. Neither do I have any kashmiri friends who would invite me over and treat me to their way of making Jackfruit.

But Bee wanted a Jackfruit recipe different from the one I already have in my Blog. Now thats(Enchor er Dalna/Enchor Chingri or Jackfruit with Shrimp) the only Jackfruit recipe I really know. So I scratched my head and thought. After thinking hard, very hard I thought I would make the other Bengali Jackfruit delicacy called “Enchorer Chop”. Now that is really tasty but I didn’t have enough time because a friend was moving house and I had offered to cook a dinner for them. Making a recipe serve two Food Events is not really nice, (though I have done it several times) I agree but at least I can make the food I cook serve several purpose I thought. So I wanted to make something that could be served as a dish for dinner and also be sent to JFI Jackfruit





Flipping through my recipe book, the Bengali one which finds mention in my blog from time to time, I found this wonderful recipe called “Kashmiri Enchor” or "Kashmiri Jackfruit" I am not really sure if there is anything remotely “Kashmiri” to this but since the name sounded good I stuck to it. With some of my innovations thrown in this was one great tasting Jackfruit Dish. So heres Kashmiri Enchor for JFI Jackfruit hosted by Jugalbandi and created by Mahanadi

* If this is indeed a Kashmiri prep -- pat on my back
* If there is a different prep for Kashmiri Jackfruit -- my apologies



Read more...





Kashmiri Enchor/Jackfruit



What You Need

Green Jackfruit ~ I used two cans of Chaokoh Green Jackfruit. Each can is about 570 gm

For marinade


Onion Paste ~ 3 tbsp
Yogurt ~ 3 tbsp
Garlic paste ~ 1 tsp
Ginger Paste ~ 2 tsp
Sugar ~ 1 tsp heaped
Turmeric Powder ~ 1/4 tsp

The Gravy

For tempering

Shah Jeera/Black Cumin ~ 1 tsp loosely packed (not heaped). You can also use the regular White Jeera/Cumin
Bay Leaves ~ 2-3

For gravy

Onion Paste ~ 2 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder ~ 1 tsp or more. Since I like it hot I added more
Kitchen King masala ~ 1 tsp heaped . Kitchen King Masala is a spice blend used to enhance the flavor of Indian Dishes. Can be used instead of Garam masala in some occasions
Sugar ~ 2 tsp
Salt ~ according to taste
Oil ~ for cooking
Ghee ~ 1tsp (optional)

How I Did It

Since the jackfruit is canned in brine, it becomes a bit salty. So the night before you cook, open the can, drain the liquid, wash the jackfruit several times in fresh water and soak them in fresh water overnight
Cut the jackfruit pieces in cubes
Make a marinade with the ingredients listed under “For Marinade” and marinate the jackfruit for an hour.
Heat Oil in a Kadhai/Frying Pan
Temper with 2 – 3 Bay leaves and 1 tsp (loosely packed) of Shah Jeera/Black Cumin. You can also use the regular White Jeera/Cumin
Add about 2 tbsp of Onion Paste
Fry till the onion turns pinkish brown and you see the oil separate from the onion paste.
Lower the heat and Add the jackfruit along with the marinade
Sauté till the masala cooks. In Bengali we use the term “Kashano” which means you have to stir till the masala coats nicely and masala is cooked
Add the Red Chilli Powder, the 1 tsp of Kitchen King Masala and Salt and saute again
Do not add water but sprinkle a little as needed and cook till done. Stir intermittently. Tip:If you at all need to add water to make the jackfruit cook, remeber to dry off most of the water.
After the jackfruit is cooked add 2 tsp of sugar if you want and mix and cook for a couple more minutes. Since I am not very tuned to sourness in food and the canned jackfruit has a bit of sourness I added this step. If you don't want do not add sugar.
The canned jackfruit being tender will cook quickly. If you are using the fresh ones you should steam or pressure cook the jackfruit before.

The dish had very little gravy but was moist and was excellent with Rice or Chapati.For my friends I served this with Dal, Egg Curry and White Rice. They loved it and so did we. The best part is it did not take much of my time, fast and tasty.

Update on 22nd June, 2007: Yesterday I added a little ghee to this dish and it enhanced the taste. I also realized that a certain hotness of chillies makes it taste better, specially with the canned jackfruit. So if you wish add a little ghee at the end and don't scrimp on the chilli.







Also check the other Green Jackfruit with Shrimp recipe in my Blog -- Enchor Chingri ba Enchor er Dalna




Trivia: Jackfruit plays an important role in Indian agriculture and was cultivated in India 3000 to 6000 years ago.One of the earliest descriptions of the jackfruit is to be found in the 16th century memoirs of the Mughal Emperor Babar, who was not much enamored of it and said "The jackfruit is unbelievably ugly and bad tasting". Well we don't think so, do we.(Source:wiki)

39 comments:

  1. Pashmina Shawls, Dal Lake, boy, you certainly evoked some pretty images of Kashmir....I'll tell you what I want, Rahul Sharma playing the "PariMahal", on the Shikara, while I am sipping some Kashmiri "Kehwa", too much to ask? I think Not.

    :)

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  2. full marks to you, sandeepa, for this unique dish. who cares what it's called?

    the author probably called it 'kashmiri' because of the shah jeera.

    you were missed the past week.

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  3. btw, babar was a moron. we all know that, don't we? ;-)

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  4. wow!!!!very nice ..looks yummy ....

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  5. love ur modesty in trying other cuisines.. i always felt mallus and bongs have soemthing in common.

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  6. What ruckus Jackfruit has caused for all of us,eh? HeHe!!I almost gave up too.Well..turned out great in the end.
    Whatever the name and wherever it is from,dish looks fabulous.It seems not many have cooked with JF even in India except my grandma!!;D
    Love the color,looks great.I will try this.I still have 2 more cans left!:)

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  7. I wish you get to visit Kashmir, Sandeepa, and safely at that! I was lucky enough to see it - it was really nice and probably not so troubled at that time.

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  8. I am kinda hesitant to cook green jackfruit with ginger+garlic. But yr pic looks tempting..

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  9. shah jeera must have made the dish a masterpiece. looks so delicious. and the writeup on Kashmir hmmmm lovely.

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  10. What is Kitchen King Masala?

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  11. dish looks good, the gravy elements in itself are such that one cud adapt it to various dishes :) learnt a new word -kashano, i think it translates to 'bhuno' in hindi :)

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  12. wow sandeepa
    that was a very different and unique dish.

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  13. Add look what a beautiful creation you have here. Great work, Sandeepa.

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  14. O O this sounds new to me...Love them..Nice picture...

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  15. Sandeepa, let us paln that Kashmiri trip together would love to visit too. Kashmiri or not the dish looks delicious.

    How did you manage without the WWW for week.

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  16. Sandeepa, take a look at your comment section in the previous post, there is a SPAM post.

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  17. wow the dish looks inviting! ginger garlic with JF very new !

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  18. Pat on your back for venturing into something like this :) And with all the mention of pashmina shawls and shikaras, you were successful in digging up my dusted travel dreams again...why do you do such stuff to your readers ???? :)

    Shn

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  19. A lovely post with flavourful treat:)

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  20. Wonderful.
    we all love ENCHOR at home...willtry this...

    Kashmir is indeed very very pretty..had the chance to go there when I was quite small...whatever I remember is beautiful...
    ;-)

    DR

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  21. u could have used kashmiri chilli here;) whatever the name, the recipe sounds really good and easy to make...
    i want to visit kashmir once... its indeed heaven on earth...

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  22. Nice unique recipe.Thanks for sharing sandeepa.

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  23. absolutely delicious recipe sandeepa. we also have jackfruit in the orchard in our anchestral home where my culinary adventures started ;)

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  24. Whats with the name? everything is in the taste. The jackfruit enchor looks delicious Sandeepa.

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  25. Ah, Kashmir... a place in my must visit before I die list...

    Nice dish you've made with JF, I have only two recipes for green jackfruit.

    BTW Thanks for the tip about removing the saltiness from the canned JF. I've only tried the canned JF once and it was too salty, and I just gave up on it. I will try your method...

    Have a great weekend Sandeepa!

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  26. Kashmiri or not, the recipe is great...as for heaven on earth, I wish.....(sighhh)

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  27. Hi Sandeepa, love the look and ease of this jackfruit dish! I have made one with black cardamom -- I bet the black cumin makes it rich, too. Since all I can get is canned jackfruit, I'll definitely be trying this :)

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  28. Trupti
    You have to bring Rahul Sharma into the picture don't you :) ?

    Bee
    Thank U, shall send you the post by tonight

    Deepa
    Thanks

    Mallu
    Aiyyyyooooo. Whaat you say!!! Actually even I feel the same :)

    Asha
    Green Jackfruit is much loved in Bengal. My grandma's garden had a huge tree and Jackfryit Gravy and Koftas would be in plenty during summer.

    Sra
    Yeah some day. There are so many places in India that I would love to visit but when I go home every year or every other year, the trip is confined to home alone

    Suganya
    It was yummylicious, give it a try, green jackfruit ok ?

    Sharmi
    I used little of Shah Jeera, it did add a diff flavor

    Inji
    Kitchen King is a spice blend i use instead of Garam Masala at times. I like the flavor it adds. Shall update post with a link

    Richa
    You are right, it is like "bhuno"

    Swapna
    Thanks

    Cynthia
    Thank you

    Sukanya
    Thanks

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  29. Indo
    I was on a work related training so I did have access to WWW during breaks. But since I was having long days, there was no time left to blog or blog hop in the evenings :(
    Yeah we should plan it together but how do I recognize you once we set out? yellow rose as Sig had suggested :)

    Roopa
    Green Jackfruit with Ginger and garlic is not new for us. So you guys don't use ginger+garlic with JF ?

    Shn
    Good to see you here. I thought you were on a break

    Lera
    Good to see you too

    DR
    So you get Enchor in Netherlands too ?

    Sia
    That was a good idea. I used "Deggi Mirch". Shall try Kashmiri Chilli next

    Meena, Mandira, Seema, Sunita
    Thanks to all you girls

    Sig
    Try changing the water 3-4 times the night before and finally let it soak in fresh water. That will reduce the saltiness, but there still will be a hint of it. Thats why the spiciness of the red chilli is needed

    Linda
    Youa are one master chef.

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  30. Sandeepa, I do not have an email address to send you the recipe for the fish kebabs and I don't want to take up a lot of space in your comments section writing it. You can send me an email and I will respond: tasteslikehome@gmail.com

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  31. Sandeepa

    This recipe sounds great with Green Jackfruit and all the evocative proses on Kashmir! Looks lovely and tempting!

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  32. Hi Sanduuu!!! It's good to be back! :) I missed you! My my, I am in awe at your repertoire of recipes, I really need to get kickstarted to cook again after a whole month's absence! :)

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  33. Hey Sandeepa
    Yummy recipe. Its been more than 5 yrs I had jackfruit. You guys are making me droolllll:).

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  34. My mom makes bhajis and curries using raw jackfruit and one of them looks just like yours! Never thought of using canned jackfruits before but looks like it's as tasty and definitely easier to work with than fresh jackfruit..

    Nice write-up too, San!

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  35. It's such a pleasure to read your posts! I always feel like I'm swept along on a delightful adventure, with beautiful writing, yummy looking pictures--and I frequently learn new things. What could be better? Well, eating that wonderful looking dish, for one!

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  36. Have never tried anything with green jack fruit and this recipe of yours look really good. Iam seeing so many recipes of jackfruit nowadays and I have planned to buy it and will surely try some.. thanks for the recipe.

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  37. Thanks for the recipe. Turned out really good, I had only one can of green jackfruit, so I added one potato.

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  38. What happens with the ginger-garlic paste for the gravy. You forgot that.

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  39. Sorry, it was in the marinade.

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