Food talk
Jack of all tastes
Pushpesh Pant

Popular misconception is that kathal or jackfruit is ‘hard to cook’. First, there is the bother of peeling and cutting, then the time taken till its soft enough to ‘digest’. Not to forget the large measure of oil needed to improve its taste. In brief, arguments are a plenty to deter us. We love the vegetable or fruit, call it what you like, and feel it is our duty to dispel misinformation. Nowadays, many vegetable sellers offer peeled and cut chunks in small lots and the pressure cooker has long cut short the cooking time. The measure of oil used is entirely up to you and there are many tasty recipes that eschew the ‘unhealthy’ deep-fried route. As a matter of fact, most of us have become prisoners to ‘kathal-best-mimicking-meat’ mindset. It tastes good without the onion-garlic-garam masala overload. After sampling a South Indian gravy dish prepared with jackfruit, we have adapted it to the north of the Vindhyas palate and hope it meets with the approval of our readers.

Recipe: Jhatpat kathal 
Ingredients 
Jackfruit chunks 250 g 
(net weight after removing the skin and cleaning)
Tomato puree 50 g
Ginger paste 1 tsp
Bay leaf 1
Brown cardamom Two
Cloves Two
Stick of cinnamon ½ inch
Black peppercorn ½ tsp
Coriander powder 2 tsp
Cumin seeds powder 1 tsp
Red chilly powder ½ tsp
Turmeric powder ¼ tsp rock salt
Salt To taste 
Oil 2 tbsp

Method: Heat oil in a pan and put in the whole spices. As these change colour, add the kathal chunks with tomato puree and ginger paste. Stir for about a minute and then add powdered spices dissolved in a little water along with salt. Stir-fry for a minute and pour in half a cup of hot water. Pressure cook till the first whistle, remove pressure and open the lid. Stir, adjust seasoning and serve with hot phulka or steamed rice. 

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