Idichakka Thoran / Tender Jackfruit Stir fry with coconut

Jackfruit/ Chakka is in season now. This time when we were at home, my mom had made Idichakka Thoran which was so delicious. I quickly made a note of the recipe to make it myself.

They taste yumm that you would want to make it quite often. But cleaning it, is a bit messy and difficult. But I could go through it to enjoy this awesome side dish. When I found that it was available in the market here, I quickly grabbed it and made it the same day.

You may want to try it if you have not already. They are delicious and worth all the effort it takes to remove the skin and clean it. So try it and let me know if you too liked it.

Ingredients

1. 3 cups of cubed tender jack fruit 
2. 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
3. 3/4 tsp of turmeric powder
4. 4-5 shallots sliced
5. 2-3 green chillies slit
6. 1 sprig of curry leaves
7. 1 cup of grated coconut
8. 3 tbsp of oil
9. Salt to taste

Method

• In a steamer, steam cook the jackfruit pieces until they start to pull apart easily when pricked.
• Remove it from the steamer and let it cool a little.
• Shred/Mince the jackfruit pieces in a food processor/grinder to cut it down into smaller pieces. Don't overdo it.
• Mix the jackfruit with the grated coconut and keep it aside.
• In a skillet, heat the oil. Once hot, add the mustard seeds to it. Once they pop, turn down the heat. Add the shallots, green chillies, curry leaves and salt. Saute it till the shallots turn tender. Now add the turmeric powder and give it a mix.
• Add the shredded/minced jackfruit and grated coconut. Mix it well and cook it for about 5 minutes on low heat, stirring it occasionally. 
• Serve it hot with steaming rice.

Tips

1. Applying oil on your hands while cleaning and cutting the jackfruit would help avoid the stickiness. Also to clean the knives, you could rub some oil on it. The sticky gum/latex could be cleaned off with ease.
2. To clean the tender jackfruit, slice away the skin and also remove the inner hard stem portion. You don't have to remove the seeds. When they get cooked, seeds taste good.
3. The steamed jackfruit can be stored in the refrigerator after it cools down. You could then defrost it when needed and continue with the rest of the recipe. It makes it easy to prepare on busy days.