Ponsa Gharai ~ Konkani Style Jackfruit Payasam

When I was living in Mangalore I had the good fortune of tasting two varieties and its various qualities of jackfruit. Almost every household I visited had jackfruit trees that were heavily laden with the season’s fruit that would be painstakingly plucked & feasted upon. A huge jackfruit weighing anywhere between 18-20 kilos was enough to serve the entire family with fruit & its various delicacies and there was always enough to distribute amongst close family & friends. As I mentioned earlier the two varieties that I have eaten are called as ‘rosaal’ (konkani term for ‘juicy’) or kaapo/kaapu (I am clueless why its called so – maybe because it was found in Kaup, a place close to Mangalore – again I have no clue why Kaapu is written as Kaup). The ‘rosaal’ variety is a pain to eat – I don’t know about you, but I found it impossible to chew or swallow it. The pods are oh-so-delicious but slimy in a sense that you are worried when its time to swallow it lest it gets stuck in your throat! (How many of you have had this experience?). This variety is usually utilized in the preparation of sweetmeats like the ghariyo (jackfruit fritters) or patholiyo (steamed rice & jackfruit cakes) although you may use any variety.

It was just recently that I came across the very Konkani style preparation of a payasam made with jackfruits and I was so fascinated by it that I had to make it right away. My brother had brought a little over a kilo of jackfruit pods – cleaned & ready to be eaten and I set right away in the preparation of patholiyo and this payasam. We had a jackfruit feast at home despite the fact that the kids didn’t want to sample anything because they were put off by the aroma of the jackfruit. I just hope that their taste buds are more forgiving as they grow up & they are able to appreciate & enjoy the fruit that their parents grew up eating.

What’s the difference between the kheer & payasam you may ask. While the kheer is pan India (made across the whole country), the payasam was (if not is) predominantly a sweet dish savoured by South Indians alone. The simple reason being that the kheer is a milk based sweet dish while the payasam is made of coconut milk and flavoured with crushed cardamoms. Coconut milk, cardamoms & cashew nuts are almost a common trio in the making of a payasam.