Where does he stay? Idichakka Plamoodu. What does he do? He specialises in making dishes out of jackfruit. H. M. Rafeek and his connection with the jackfruit go a long way. Now, people are queuing up at the ongoing Ananthapuri Chakka Mahotsavam at Sooryakanti Grounds, Kanakakkunnu, for a taste of the jackfruit delicacies he serves at the food court.
“You can make all kinds of dishes using jackfruit,” says Rafeek, who is busy frying chakka pazham pori (instead of ripe bananas, he makes fritters using ripe jackfruit bulbs) in the kitchen of the food court. Elsewhere an employee is busy chopping raw jackfruit bulbs into thin pieces. “That’s for the chakka parippu vada. These pieces will be added to the dal paste to make the vadas.” Chilli fry (reminds you of cauliflower fritters), bajji, unniyappam, cutlet, ada, kottappam (a variation of therali appam), onion vada…, all with jackfruit as base, are among the snacks on the menu.
Rafeek says he started taking the jackfruit seriously six years ago. “I used to run a small scale business, making and selling raw banana and chilli bajjis earlier. I also sold jackfruit chips, chakkavaratti, and jackfruit jam in the neighbourhood. Jackfruit is available in plenty at my place and so I tried making different items using it,” says Rafeek.
An elaborate sadya featuring side-dishes made of jackfruit is a result of experiments in his kitchen. There are 10 to 13 curries in this spread – parippu, avial, thoran, sambar, kichadi, three varieties of pickles (mashed raw jackfruit with mango, lime, ginger), pulissery, and, of course, payasams. “Except for the pulissery, I use mashed/finely ground raw jackfruit bulbs for the other curries. Of the two payasams, one is the usual jackfruit payasam and the other is either a jackfruit paal payasam, in which I use sugar instead of jaggery, and the kadala parippu-jackfruit payasam,” Rafeek explains. Dishes such as jackfruit mezhukuvaratti and masala perattu (resembling chicken perattu) are added to the spread at times. “I also make jackfruit fry. The bulbs are first fried in oil to remove the water content. It is then marinated with the same spices as one does with fish fry, and then fried,” he says. If you are wondering whether having too much of jackfruit would cause indigestion, Rafeeq says that there is enough ginger in the pickles to take care of it.
In the evenings, the speciality at the stall is jackfruit masala dosa. “Raw jackfruit is made into a fine paste and added to the dosa batter. Only a small quantity should be added, otherwise the dosa will stick to the tawa,” he says. The dosa, which has a jackfruit masala filling, is accompanied by a jackfruit masala curry, jackfruit chutney and jackfruit perattu. And that’s not all. He makes jackfruit chicken biriyani as well! “The jackfruit should be exactly 20 days old. It is cut into very small pieces and cooked with the rice,” says Rafeek.
Since jackfruit bulbs and the seeds can be preserved for long after drying in the sun, Rafeek makes it a point to stock them in small quantities. Another special product is a ‘health mix’ for new moms, made of powdered jackfruit seeds and medicinal leaves. “I get jackfruit almost throughout the year. The trees flower during different months at different places and I know the areas where I get the fruits at a particular time. I wish I had the machinery and technology to do it on a big scale,” he says.
The fete is on till July 31.
Jackfruit platter
Powdered jackfruit seeds as tastemaker, cakes made from jackfruit bulbs/seeds, a jackfruit health mix, jackfruit flour … Ananthapuri Chakka Mahotsavam is a ready-reckoner on jackfruit and its uses. Sweets, desserts, pickles, savouries and many value-added products made from the bulbs and seeds have been kept for sale by firms in the city and from places such as Palakkad, Adimaly, Malappuram and Wayanad. There is jackfruit-honey halwa from Kozhikode, jackfruit milk from Alappuzha and packets of ready-to-cook dehydrated jackfruit bulbs from Palakkad. Jackfruit saplings are also available at the exhibition. The fete is organised by Exhibition Participants Association of Kerala (EPAK).
