Elchikerry

Hello dear readers! Today I am going to share yet another family recipe of ours called as ‘Elchikerry’. This dish is from Kerala cuisine and the recipe belongs to my late Aayi. Her paternal family was from Kerala and she was married to Ajja who was also from Kerala though later they migrated to Mangalore… Thats how we have the  Kerala influence in the cuisine.

Coming back to this curry it takes me back to my childhood days. We had a jackfruit tree in our compound and Aayi would make the curry out of the jackfruit  every year while it cropped. Though the jackfruit used to have very few petals it tasted best for Elchikerry. I liked this particular curry while it was prepared only with the jackfruit from our garden. This curry tastes good if the jackfruit petals are bit thick and also when it is almost ready to ripen, slightly sweet.

This recipe was passed to me by Aayi and Amma . The measure given below is of eye ball measurement. I had saved the pictures several times but somehow could not make it in the space. 

Ingredients :

Raw jackfruit petals – 2 cups approx

Jackfruit seeds – 1 cup

Oil – 2 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1tsp

Cumin seeds – 1tsp

Curry leaves – few

Grated coconut -handful,  1/2 cup approx( dry roast until red in colour)

Salt – to taste

Jaggery – marble sized

Ingredients for the masala:

Grated coconut – 1.5 cups

Long red chilly – 5-6(roasted in 1 tsp oil)

Short red chilly – 4(roast in 1 tsp oil)

Tamarind – marble sized

Cumin seeds – 2 tsp

Peppercorns – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

Oil – 1 tsp

Method:

1. Chop the jackfruit petals into big pieces.
2. Boil jackfruit  with just enough water until it gets cooked.
3. Once cooked add salt to taste and pinch of jaggery.
4. Boil jackfruit seeds separately in a pressure cooker.
5. Heat 1 tsp oil and roast cumin seeds and peppercorns until it splutters.
6. Switch off the flame and add turmeric powder and allow it to cool.
7. Grind grated coconut, roasted red chillies and tamarind to a fine paste.
8. Once it is ground well add roasted cumin and pepper.
9. Grind it further to a fine paste.
10. Take a broad vessel, add cooked jackfruit and jackfruit seeds.
11. If there is extra stock of cooked jackfruit keep it aside.
12. Add masala and adjust the consistency.
13. Check for salt.
14. Add the stock if it is there or add normal water to adjust the consistency.
15. Take a good boil.
16. Heat oil, splutter mustard seeds and cumin seeds, add curry leaves.
17. Season it to the curry.
18. Add roasted coconut and mix it well.