Jack fruit seeds 2 ways - in a tamrind sauce, mushroom stir fry

Thanks for the feedback on gift cards. I was glad to note that most of you think that gift cards/money are a better option for some situations, especially weddings, baby showers where the same gifts make their appearance umpteen times and when you are not sure what the recipient likes. Shopping for some is a relaxing exercise while for some it is an activity that is not much relished. Most of us agree though that a thoughtful gift is worth its price in gold and perhaps asking the person what they want would make life easier for all. But the thrill is lost isn't?

mushroom and jackfruit seeds stir fry with chapatis and onion raita

While still in the topic of shopping, does a celebrity endorsement make you buy a brand as opposed to another one? You could not have escaped the last few days without listening to or watching news about the alleged transgressions of a certain golfer. When making a decision to buy a car, would a favorite player's endorsement of Buick make you choose it over Honda or Toyota? I doubt if I would be swayed by an endorsement for an expensive purchase like that because most of us know that they are paid huge amounts to endorse a product. Perhaps these endorsements get attention to a product but will that make them buy the product itself? I bet it does improve sales otherwise manufactures would not be paying those amounts. In the same vein why do companies ask bloggers to talk/write about a product?

On to jackfruits,

boiled, split in half, ready to be peeled

We tasted jackfruits this summer after more than 10 or 12 years. Though not to be found in the plains, they were still available in the hills. One fruit we bought from there never ripened. This was in my mind and hence the lack of enthusiasm when I saw the fruit in our local international market few weeks back. At about a dollar a pound this thing was expensive. Then Nags posted this and I could resist no longer and I had jackfruits on my brain. When my brother visited, with an extra pair of hands to help with the cleaning and extracting of the fruit pieces which is no easy task, we went and bought the fruit. The jackfruit it seems has become a regular in the store. Our friends who were visiting us bought 2 to take with them. These were the Thai variety and the smell not very intense, the fruit stayed for a week in the fridge without making everything in there smell like jackfruit. DD2 hates the smell so it was a good thing, the fruit was sweet and delicious. I am more fond of the seeds than the fruit and looking forward to cooking with them. They can be eaten by roasting in a toaster oven or a skillet.

The first recipe we tried with the seeds was this one. I can never resist a recipe which calls for tamarind.

Jackfruit seeds in a tamarind sauce
Ingredients
1. 1 Cup of jackfruit seeds boiled (cooked in a pressure cooker for a whistle)
2. 1 cup of tamarind extract
3. 1/2 tbsp chili powder (or vathal kuzhambu mix)
4. 1 tsp of turmeric powder
5. seasonings: curry leaves, mustard seeds, urad dal and cumin seeds
6. salt to taste
7. 2 tsp of brown sugar

Method
1. Peel the jackfruit seeds and cut in half (it is easy to peel if the seeds are first cut in half)
2. In a kadai heat a tsp of oil and add the seasonings and when the mustard starts to pop,
3. add the jackfruit seeds and fry for a few minutes
4. Add the turmeric powder and chili powder and salt. Saute for a few more minutes.
You can stop right here or
5. Add the tamarind extract and boil for 6-8 minutes, add sugar and boil for a minute more.

Serve with rice.


After the initial excitement over the jackfruit seeds wore off, still had a few of them lying around. DD2 loves mushrooms but hates jackfruit seeds, why not combine the two ;) She actually enjoyed the seeds when we convinced here they were cashew fruit :) With the earthy mushrooms and the nuttiness of the jackfruit seeds , it turned out to be a great combination and we enjoyed this one a lot. As for DD2 she picked aside the jackfruit seeds and ate just the mushroom, the taste had caught up with her.

Mushroom and jackfruit seeds stir fry
Ingredients
1. 1 Cup of jackfruit seeds boiled and cut lengthwise
2. 1/4 cup of onions sliced
4. 4 Cups of mushrooms sliced (any mushrooms will work, I used button bushrooms)
5. 1 tsp turmeric powder
6. 3 tsp of chili powder (sambhar powder will work too)
7. Salt to taste

Method
1. In a flat bottomed pan, add oil and saute the onions till translucent, now
2. add the sliced mushrooms with turmeric powder and salt and saute, the mushroom tend to excrete lot of water,
3. add the jackfruit seeds and continue to cook on high heat till the water evaporates completely.
4. Add the chili powder towards the end and saute for a couple of more minutes.

Serve withe rice, they were an excellent side for chapatis.