Chakkakuru Mezhukkupuratti

Kerala jackfruit seeds, boiled until creamy and then roasted in coconut oil with shallots, garlic, dried chilli, and curry leaves until crusted and golden

Origin: Kerala, India

From the journey of Jackfruit.

Mezhukkupuratti means coated with fat, and it is Kerala's name for the simplest of its stir-fries: a vegetable cooked first and then roasted in coconut oil with shallots, garlic, dried chilli, and curry leaves until its edges crust and colour. Jackfruit seeds, chakkakuru, are made for it. Boiled until creamy and then roasted in the oil, they turn nutty and golden outside and stay soft within, and they are eaten as a side dish with rice or on their own, as a snack. Roasting is the oldest way to eat the seeds. Robert Knox, an English sailor held captive in the kingdom of Kandy in the 1660s, found the poor of Ceylon roasting them in the embers, 'there being usually a good heap of them lying in a corner by the fire side', and carrying them 'in a bag for their Provisions by the way' when they travelled. Kerala cooks keep the seeds for the same reason: they are too good to throw away.

Ingredients

Seeds

  • 30 jackfruit seeds (about 250 g), white outer skin removed
  • 0.25 tsp ground turmeric
  • 0.5 tsp salt

To Roast

  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 5 small shallots, sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp crushed dried red chilli
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 0.25 tsp coarsely ground black pepper (optional)

Method

  1. Boil the seeds in water with the turmeric and salt for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender but still whole. Drain.
  2. Slice each seed in half lengthwise, or into slivers if you want them crisper.
  3. Heat the coconut oil in a wide pan and fry the shallots, garlic, dried chilli, and curry leaves until the shallots turn golden.
  4. Add the seeds and roast over a moderate heat for 8 to 10 minutes, turning them now and then, until crusted and golden at the edges. Season with the pepper and a little more salt if needed.
  5. Serve hot with rice, or on their own.

Notes

Never eat jackfruit seeds raw. Seeds kept whole in their white skins stay good for two or three weeks in a cool, dry place.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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