Idichakka Thoran Jackfruit is a seasonal fruit available from Mid March to May. In the beginning of the season you get the really small jackfruits or tender jackfruits called iddichakka in Malayalam. As days progress the jackfruit grows in size; you start getting the huge chakkas, which have beautiful golden yellow bulbs inside them. Jackfruit trees are a common sight in the backyards of Kerala homes. Come, Jackfruit season (summer), and the menu would be anything from iddichakka thoran, Chakka Chips, Chakka Curry, to Elai adai or Chakka Pradaman. Jackfruit jam or Chakka varrati is another delicacy. This way, it would be preserved for the whole year and Chakka Pradhaman or Elai Adai can be prepared at any time of the year. Cutting the jackfruit is a really time consuming and tedious task, but the results are very sweet. Oil your palms and the knife with coconut oil since sticky gum oozes out of the fruit when you cut it open. Usually the Jackfruit is cut into a half and those into further halves. For the tender Jackfruit, only the prickly thick outer skin needs to be removed and the rest can be cut into pieces just like any other fruit or vegetable. For the ripe ones, the yellow bulbs have to be separated and the seeds have to be removed. Idichakka Thoran is made out of fresh tender jackfruits, mildly spiced and flavored with fresh coconut. Thoran refers to any kind of dry curry. Ingredients: Small Chakka (Raw Jackfruit) : 1 small Desicated Coconut – 1 cup Green Chillies – 2 (sliced lengthwise) Garlic flakes – 2 Curry Leaves – 1 spring Dry Red Chillies – 2 nos(cut into pieces) Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp Black gram (Uzhunthu parippu) – 1 tsp Coconut Oil – 2 tsp Salt – as required Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp Chilli Powder – 1/4 tsp Method: Slice the Jackfruit into small size pieces. Mix the desiccated coconut, crushed garlic andgreen chillies. Add salt, turmeric powder and chill powder andcook the jackfruit in a small quantity of water. When cooked, mash the cooked vegetable eitherusing the Ammi kallu or in a mixer. Heat Oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and blackgram and allow them to splutter. Add curry leaves and dry red chillies and frythem for a minute. Add the crushed Chakka to this and mix well. Finally add the coconut and cook them. Cook the mixture until the all the water hasgone on low flame.
