When I called mum today she gave me the weather update – “Shirandariso paus yetha anga, boro kalok zala (it’s raining cats and dogs here and its really gloomy and dark)”. Well, a typical day during the monsoons in Mangalore. On such days everyone likes to dig into some kind of comfort food. While I am thoroughly missing the monsoons (really enjoyed them while I was there in July) I did manage to bring back some tangible memories with me – salted tender jackfruit that my mother in law and I had prepared together. So the last few days saw me preparing two variations of how these chunks could be cooked. The first one is where we make a ‘sukka’ or saute of the tender jackfruit with basic spices and loads of coconut. Dishes made the ‘sukka’ way are called as ‘sukhe’ in Konkani. This is like a very basic dish which you can put together in no time. We Mangaloreans make plenty of sukka variations with vegetables and even meat. Sonay sukhe (garbanzo beans sukka), clam sukka, chicken sukka and beef sukka are probably the most famous dishes on the menu at our place.
Now another sukka preparation is added to my repertoire. We thoroughly enjoyed this dish along with some simple Mangalorean style daaliso saar and piping hot red rice. I hope you enjoy it too!
Ghare Sukhe | Uppad Pachir Aajadina / Salla Upkari (Salted Jackfruit Sukka)
Prep time: 6-12 hours (for soaking) + 15 mins | Cook time: 10-15 mins | Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
- 2 cups salted jackfruit, chopped
- 1 small onion finely sliced
- 1-1/2 level teaspoons bafad powder * see notes
- 1/2 cup water
- 2-3 jackfruit seeds/bikna chopped (optional)
- 2 tablespoons grated coconut
For the tempering:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard
- 3-4 small flakes of garlic, crushed
- 5-6 curry leaves
Method:
1. Before you cook the salted jackfruit it needs to be soaked in a lot of water for a few hours. The soaking time varies according to the age of the jackfruit in brine (salt water). I soaked the jackfruit that was in brine for 1 month for about 10-12 hours. To cut down this time change the water multiple times.
2. Once the jackfruit is rinsed, chop it into bite sized pieces and transfer into a pressure cooker. Add the sliced onion, bafad powder and water (1/2 cup approx). Cover the lid, place the weight (whistle) and pressure cook on a full heat till the cooker begins to hiss. This happens just before the whistle goes off. Remove from heat. We don’t want to overcook the jackfruit. (* see notes)
3. Let the cooker cool down a little until the whistle comes off easily. Open and give it a stir. Add the grated coconut and mix well.
4. To prepare the tempering, heat oil in a small pan and when hot add the mustard seeds. When they stop spluttering add the crushed garlic and toss them about till they turn golden. Add the curry leaves and remove from heat.
5. Pour the tempering over the prepared jackfruit sukka. Cover the pan immediately to retain the aroma.
6. Serve hot with piping hot rice and curry of your choice.
Notes:
1. Instead of bafad powder you may use any spice blend that has at least red chillies, cumin and coriander. To make your own bafad powder, see the recipe here or make it for one time use. Use a blend of red chilli powder (abt 1 tsp)+ coriander powder (3/4th tsp) + 2 pinches each of cumin powder, pepper powder & turmeric powder
2. If you are unable to stop the pressure cooker from releasing the whistle place the cooker under a tap of water for a few seconds and slowly release the whistle when it begins to loosen up.
Thank you and God Bless dearest Shireen! I would really like to express my heartfelt gratitude and thankfulness for your wonderful blog. Whenever I’ve tried to attempt any authentic Mangalorean dish ( yup, I’m a Mangy myself ) I first access your website to read up on the recipe to see if I even have the courage to attempt it ; and I’ve always come back empowered with the confidence that yes, Shireen taught me how to cook it 🙂
Thank you, thank you dear and keep up the good work. May you continue to give freely of your God gifted talents and may you and your family be forever blessed!
Thank you soooooo much Maneka!This was such a heartwarming comment! I felt so good reading it. I am very glad that my blog is your go to place when you need Mangalorean recipes. Thanks for the honour and i am happy that my recipes have helped you. Thank you for the blessings and positive words, I am really in need of it! Thanks & hugs!