Chakka Varattiyathu

Think I made you nostalgic, didn’t I?? An evoking journey to the good old days of childhood at your paternal-maternal residence on vacation with your grandparents…and you, swiftly, yet meticulously chomping through a good helping of chakka varattiyathu after completing that appetizing naadan lunch/dinner; tenderly being served in your plates by your grandma….Well, this is exactly the scene that flashes through my mind whenever this exotic dish is talked about even in mere conversations. And even now as I write this, for a moment, I too am being taken back to that absolutely wonderful and carefree era…. Really makes me go back to those days and relive those moments…don’t u feel the same too??

Well, lemme come back to the present…:) To talk about Chakka varattiyathu, it is an extremely popular name in Kerala households…indeed an exclusive Kerala delicacy thereby exhibiting the class and style of Kerala cuisine universally too….As who would have ever thought about churning out a lip-smacking jam with the fleshy jackfruits?? Though the only problem seems to be the fact that we can’t make this jam accdg to our time and moods mainly coz of the seasonal availability of jackfruits. So, if you are indeed a great fan of this dish and would like to make it on your own instead of going for readymade ones, get some good fleshy jackfruits when in season and make up a yummy jackfruit jam to store it for a very very long time.

So, here’s how the authentic recipe for Chakka Varattiyathu goes…. A must try for at least once…

You’d require
A kg of Ripe jackfruit fleshy pieces popularly known as Chakka chola in Malayalam
500 gm or more/less of Jaggery(Sharkkara)
1 tsp powdered Dry ginger(Chukku)
5 – 6 nos of Cardamom
1 tsp powdered Cumin seeds (optional)
5 tbsp Ghee

Method:-
1)Cook the jackfruit pieces in a pressure cooker along with around 2 glasses of water up to 2 - 3 whistles.
2)Allow it to cool and grind it in a mixer grinder making sure that there are no lumps or pieces in it.
3)Place sharkkara along with 2 glasses of water on medium flame and stir well to dissolve it. Filter using a strainer. Keep aside.
4)Heat a thick bottomed vessel. Usually big Uralis are used for this.
5)Stir in the mashed jackfruit and the jaggery solution into it.
6)Mix well on a low flame.
7)Add ghee occasionally, stirring continuously as well.
8)Stir well till the water content gets evaporated completely.
9)When it thickens well, add the powdered dry ginger, powdered cumin seeds and powdered cardamom and mix well.
10)Allow it to cool thoroughly.
11)Store in airtight containers or bharanis for long life shelves. If you are making in small quantities, you can store it in small airtight containers and refrigerate it.




And beware “workaholic housewives” and “make a curry in a hurry guys” as this dish is definitely not meant for you…coz it is not that easy to make as the name and the procedure implies. You’d definitely require long standings in the kitchen and so, do try this only if you have ample time to spare. Hey…don’t scowl and get disappointed…. :( Cheer up coz after considering the bright side of it, your face is gonna be something like this….:D And so, don't worry as after all that sweating and bustling in the kitchen, I’m sure the luscious jackfruit jam you have in your hands wud be definitely worth all those efforts…. Coz the good thing is that we can store this jam in airtight utensils, which can be used later in cooking for multi-uses.

To begin with, just try imagining the yummy jackfruit jam you’d be having as a light dessert after a heavy meal….:) You can even stuff your kids’ snack boxes with breads or chappathis rolled up with a generous spread of this jam and light up their faces too….:) And you can also make Chakka ada as an evening snack or even as a light breakfast…. Or you can even have it as a light accompaniment with Puttu…hard to believe??? Well, I’ve come across a few who do so…and it tastes good too…. :) And of course, you can also add a small portion of this chakka jam in Sharkkara Payasams and Unnippams to enhance its’ taste and flavor. A small secret shared by cooking experts themselves…. :)

So, there you are…. The time and energy you are just gonna spend on this is not going to be futile as they shall definitely come handy in the long run. And I believe there are a few things or efforts in our lives which epitomizes this simple point. I always believe we shud constantly think about the fruitfulness or productivity of a particular effort before you leap into it…just to make sure your efforts don’t go in vain and you are not left thwarted at the end of it….Do I sound like a pessimist?? I hope not…. :)

So, on that optimistic note, happy cooking!!!