cooking jackfruit

Cup of Yum
1. Take 275 grams of ripe sweet jackfruit (with seeds). First remove the seeds and the cover from top of the seeds. Then finely chop the jackfruit. You will need 1 heaped cup finely chopped ripe sweet jackfruit.
2. Take all of the finely chopped jackfruit in a pan or kadai.
3. Add ¾ cup water.
4. Cover the pan with its lid and cook jackfruit on a medium-low flame.
5. In between do check when the jackfruit is cooking. If the water dries up, you can add some more water.
6. Simmer till the jackfruit is softened and mushy. Switch off the flame.
7. Then using a potato masher, mash the cooked jackfruit. You can also puree the jackfruit in a mixer or blender.

making jaggery solution

1. When the jackfruit is cooking, you can make the jaggery solution. Take 1 cup jaggery powder or grated jaggery (150 grams) in another pan or sauce pan.
2. Add ½ cup water. Jaggery is always added, but sugar can be used instead of jaggery. If using sugar, then add as per taste.
3. Keep the pan on a low flame and stir so that the jaggery dissolves.
4. Simmer till the jaggery solution comes to a boil.

making jackfruit payasam

1. Pour the jaggery solution through a strainer in the cooked jackfruit pulp.
2. Mix well. Switch on the flame and keep it to a low.
3. Now add 1 cup thin coconut milk or third extract of coconut milk. You can also add ¾ cup water instead of thin coconut milk. mix very well.
4. Simmer this payasam mixture on a low to medium-low flame. Simmer till the mixture thickens.
5. Reduce the flame to its lowest and add 1 cup thick coconut milk. Mix well and switch off the flame.
6. Add ¼ teaspoon ginger powder, ¼ teaspoon cumin powder and ½ teaspoon cardamom powder.
7. Mix again very well. Cover and keep aside.

frying nuts for jackfruit payasam

1. Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a small pan or tadka pan. Coconut oil can be used instead of ghee.
2. Add 10 to 12 cashews. Stir often while frying cashews. Fry cashews till they become light golden.
3. When the cashews become light golden, add 10 to 12 raisins.
4. You can also add 1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coconut bits at this step before adding raisins. First, fry coconut pieces till light brown and then add the raisins. Fried coconut tastes very good in the jackfruit payasam. I did not have fresh coconut, so I have skipped adding them.
5. Stirring continuously fry till the raisins become plump.
6. Switch off the flame and pour this fried mixture in the jackfruit payasam. Mix very well. Then cover and keep aside for 5 minutes.
7. Then serve jackfruit payasam hot or warm or chilled. Leftover payasam can be refrigerated and served later.