Food talk
 Join the Jackfruit Brigade

With summer already here, kathal pulav holds great promise as a 
resplendent one-dish meal, writes Pushpesh Pant

PULAV, historians tell us, came to India from Central Asia with the Mughals and is closely related to the pilaf of the steppes. The evidence presented by ancient Sanskrit texts controverts this. Palav is a nutritious dish mentioned in bhavprakash nighantu and is described as rice cooked with meats and condiments.

Ever since the vegetarians have tried hard to enjoy their own version. Many an imaginative recipe has been tried and most have been found wanting. The most common and plainest of them all is the peas pulav and the most pretentious is, for us at least, the most inappropriately named navratan pulav. Enrichment via chunks of paneer thrown generously and garnished with dried fruits and nuts can’t elevate the unadorned zeera-fried rice to a sublime status and since when have carrots, beans and mushrooms acquired the status of gems? The mouth watering gucchi pulav is a different kettle of fish but the basic ingredient is so expensive and delicate to handle that it can only be savoured sparingly as a super celebratory delicacy. This is where the delectable jackfruit steps in. The texture is meaty, the taste distinct and the flesh absorbs flavours admirably. Good friend Jggs treated us to an exceptional kathal ki biryani but as his wont the recipe was distressingly elaborate and involved removing seeds and replacing these with dried plums and green almonds. And, this was just for starters! We were delighted when a long lost cousin surfaced and provided a much simpler but absolutely satisfying recipe for kathal ka pulav. With summer round the corner, this holds great promise as a resplendent one-dish meal. Just add a bowl of dahi and a plate of green salad and rejoice.

Chef’s corner

Ingredients
Long-grained rice 500 gm

Jackfruit (cut into small pieces) 1 kg

Turmeric powder 1½ tsp

Onions (sliced and fried

until translucent) four

Oil to deep fry jackfruit

Ghee 2 tbsp

Whole red chillies four

Green chillies (slit sideways) six

Bay leaves two

Cloves six

Black cardamoms two

Coriander powder 1½ tbsp

Red chillies powder 1 tsp

Fresh coriander (chopped) 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

For the masala

Green cardamom powder `BC tsp

Cinnamon powder `BC tsp

A very small pinch of clove powder

A very small pinch of nutmeg powder

Method
Clean pick and wash the rice. Soak in water for thirty minutes. Bring to boil six cups of water with a large pinch of salt and add the rice to it. Parboil and drain. Reserve for later use.

Heat water in another pot and put the jackfruit into it along with ½ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp salt, boil till soft. Drain the water and pat-dry the jackfruit. Heat oil in a pan and deep-fry the jackfruit. Remove and drain excess fat on kitchen towels. In the same oil stir fry the onions and set aside.

Heat ghee in a deep pan, add the red and green chillies, fry till the chillies change colour. Add the bay leaf, along with the whole spices, stir for a few seconds. Add coriander, turmeric and red chilli powders dissolved in 2 tbsp water. Stir. Add the fried jackfruit, salt and sliced onions. Fry for another two minutes. Sprinkle the cardamom, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg powders. Fry till the spices coat the jackfruit. Remove and garnish with fresh coriander.

Line a handi/pan with a little oil/ghee and spread out a layer of rice. Top with a layer of fried jackfruit. Repeat the process till both the rice and kathal are used up. Cover with a lid and put on low heat for about 10 minutes.





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