Jackfruit or Kathal is consumed all over India. In some places, especially South India, kathal is eaten as a fruit while in the North Indian states of UP, MP and Bihar kathal is eaten as a vegetable. Kathal is a favourite of the Kayasthas, they specialise in preparing incredibly delicious vegetarian dishes by substituting mutton and fish by kathal in non-vegetarian dishes. A probable explanation is that in olden times most of the Kayastha menfolk were non-vegetarian while the ladies were vegetarian; while preparing dishes like mutton do-piyaza, mutton kofta, fish curry, fish fry etc. for the menfolk, the ladies invented dishes like kathal do pyaza, kathal ke kofte etc for themselves by substituting the non-vegetarian ingredients by kathal. It is a matter of record that the kathal dishes are sometimes tastier than the non-vegetarian dishes they have replaced. Try this recipe, I’m sure you will love it.
PREP TIME: 15 min
COOKING TIME: 10 min
TOTAL TIME: 25 min
INGREDIENTS FOR PAKODA:
Kathal (jackfruit): ½ kg (cut it into 2-inch pieces)
Besan (gram flour) -1 bowl
Ginger garlic paste – 1 ½ tsp
Chilli powder – 1tsp
Salt – to taste
INGREDIENTS FOR MASALA:
Onion – 1 big
Garlic – 3 to 4 big cloves
Ginger – ½ inch
Tomato – 1 medium
Chilli powder – 1tsp
Turmeric – ½ tsp
Methi seeds – 10 to 12
Salt – to taste
Meethi seeds for tadka - 1/2 tsp
HOW TO MAKE PAKODAS:
1. Firstly, apply oil on your hands and peel the jackfruit and cut into 2 inches pieces. You can also ask your sabzi wala to peel the jackfruit for you.
2. Wash all the pieces. Now put all the pieces in a pressure cooker and add half glass of water and some salt to it. Put it on the gas till the cooker gives 1 or 2 whistles. After cooling down transfer all the pieces into the strainer. Remove all the water from the kathal pieces. Keep these pieces aside.
3. Take some oil in a kadhai for frying. fry all the boiled pieces slightly and remove pieces from kadhai and keep it aside.
4. Now take besan in a bowl add the masala to it. Add a little water to make besan paste.
5. The consistency of this paste should be like the batter for pakoda.
6. Take a pan. Add oil and keep it on the gas at medium flame. Wait till the oil is ready to fry. Dip jackfruit one by one in the besan batter. Once the oil is sufficiently heated, put the coated jackfruit gently in the oil.
7. Deep fry the jackfruit until crisp and golden brown. Take them out from the pan and keep aside.
8. Meanwhile, put all the ingredients of masala in a mixer jar. Make a fine paste. Keep this paste aside.
9. Now reduce the oil in the kadhai/wok. Keep only around 2tbsp oil in it.
Add methi seeds for tadka. After adding methi seeds.
10. Add ground masala. Roast this masala until the oil separates from the masala.
11. Now add all the pakoda pieces to this masala. Mix them well with the masala.
12. Sprinkle some water on the pakoda pieces. Cover for 5-7 minutes.
13. Then fry again till you get a nice roasted look.
13. Remove jackfruit fish wala cutlets in a serving bowl. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
14. Now serve it with nice and crispy paranthas.
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