Jackfruit Seeds Cutlet, Kathal Bij-Er Chop, Palakottai Cutlets

          The next dish that I had tried this Jackfruit season are these Cutlets With Jackfruit Seeds, Palakottai Cutlets. It's actually a Bengali dish, called as Kathal Bij-Er Chop, we use mashed jackfruit seeds and potatoes along with other spices and crushed peanuts, shape them into cutlets and deep fry them, but I have shallow fried them to keep it a little healthy. These cutlets can be served as a snack along with some tomato sauce, but I am telling you, they tasted so good that we didn't need anything to go with it. You can also serve them as a side to go with any meal, do try this before the jackfruit season ends..

Need To Have

• Jackfruit Seeds - 20 to 25
• Potato - 2 medium, boiled and mashed
• Peanuts - 2 tablespoons
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Sugar - 1 teaspoon
• All Purpose Flour/Maida - 1 tablespoon
• Bread Crumbs to roll the cutlets in
• Salt to taste
• Oil for shallow frying

To Grind

• Fennel Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Green Cardamom - 2
• Dried Red Chillies - 3
• Onion - 1 medium, chopped
• Garlic - 3 m3dium cloves
• Ginger - 1" piece

Original recipe here

Method

          I have shown the jackfruit seeds with the outer dry white skin, peel it, then pressure cook the jackfruit seeds for 3 whistles, cool and grind them to a coarse mixture and keep.

          Next  let's grind everything given under ' to grind ', first powder coarsely the fennel seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom and red chillies, then add the onion, garlic and ginger and grind everything coarsely.

          Take the mashed potatoes ( about 3/4 of a cup), add the coarsely ground onion mixture, then add the ground jackfruit seeds ( about 1 cup ), turmeric powder, salt and sugar.

          Mix everything together, then heat some oil, add the mixture and keep mixing on medium-low heat till the mixture becomes a little dry and comes together like a ball.

          Remove and cool it, in the meantime, roast the peanuts and coarsely crush them and add to the jackfruit seed mixture and mix it. Mix the flour/maida with 3 tablespoons of water and keep and take the bread crumbs and keep.

          Now shape the cutlets, dip it in the flour mix, roll it in the bread crumbs and keep.

          Heat some oil for shallow frying, slide the cutlets and fry them on both sides to golden brown color. Remove, drain the excess oil and serve.

Note
The original recipe uses equal quantities of potato and jackfruit seeds, but I had a little more jackfruit seeds mixture when mashed and I used it.
The cutlets are very soft, so flip them gently when shallow frying.

Palakottai Mangai Curry, Jackfruit Seeds And Mango Curry

          The next dish that I tried this time with the bag of Palakottai/Jackfruit Seeds that I bought was this  Palakottai Mangai Curry/ Jackfruit Seeds And Raw Mango Curry. Both mangoes and jackfruits are in season around the same time and this is a very tasty dish to try out with it. The coconut paste and the coconut oil used in the curry gives a wonderful flavor to the curry and it goes very well with rice along with some spicy vegetable curry..

Need To Have

• Palakottai/Jackfruit Seeds - 20 - 22
• Raw Mango Pieces - 1 cup
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Green Chilly - 1
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Shallots/Small Onions - 5, chopped
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Salt to taste
• Coconut Oil - 1 to 2 teaspoons

To Grind

• Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Dried Red Chillies - 3
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Garlic - 3 cloves

Original Recipe here.

Method

          I have shown the jackfruit seeds in the picture, you can either peel them whole, or cut into two, peel the outer tough white skin, then you can either use it with the brown skin or peel that also, boil the seeds in water for 5 to 7 minutes, then you can scrap the brown skin easily. For this dish, I have scrapped the outer brown skin too.

          Cook the jackfruit seeds, mango pieces along with green chilly, turmeric powder, salt and some water.

          Grind together all the ingredients given under 'to grind ' into a fine paste. Once the seeds are cooked, add the ground paste and some more water and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes and when the curry has come to a medium-thick pouring consistency.

          Heat the coconut oil, add the mustard seeds, when it starts sputtering, add the chopped shallots and saute till they turn translucent, then add the curry leaves, mix and add this to the cooked curry. Serve it with some plain rice along with some spicy curry and pappads.

Other dishes with Jackfruit Seeds..
Murungakkai Palakottai Sambar, Drumstick Jackfruit Seeds Sambar
Palakottai Varuval, Jackfruit Seeds Curry
Palakottai Vadai, Jackfruit Seeds Vada/Fritters

Note
Cut the mango into big pieces.
Make the curry as thick or thin as you want.

Palakottai Vadai, Jackfruit Seeds Vada ( Fritters )

          Every year, during the jackfruit season, more than the fruit, I always make it point to buy the seeds, mainly because my daughter loves the seeds but she doesn't like the fruit and I usually add it to sambar and curries. This year, I got a whole bag of seeds and after using it in sambar, I was looking for some other recipes to make with it and then I came upon this Jackfruit Vadai ( Fritters ). It's basically the masala vadai/ chana dal vada with the addition of some mashed jackfruit seeds. These vadas can be served as a part of a South Indian lunch along with rice, sambar and curries or eaten as snack. We had it both ways and my family loved it..

Need To Have

• Chana Dal/Kadalai Paruppu/Bengal Gram - 3/4 cup
• Palakottai/Jackfruit Seeds - 15
• Dried Red Chillies - 3
• Fennel Seeds - 2 teaspoon
• Garlic - 2 big cloves
• Ginger - 1" piece
• Onion - 1 big, chopped
• Curry Leaves - 15, roughly chopped
• Chopped Coriander LEaves - 3 tablespoons
• Salt - 1 teaspoon + a pinch

Original Recipe here.

Method

          When the jackfruit seeds are removed from the fruit and dried a little, they'll look like as shown in the picture. We have to remove the outer hard white skin, the easy way to do is, slice the seeds into two and peel it. Now you can use them with the brown skin as such, or if you want to remove that, then boil them in water for 5 to 7 minutes, then it'll be easier to scrap out the brown skin. For this vada, I have used it with the brown skin.

          Pressure cook the palakottai with some water, for 3 whistles, remove, drian and let it cool. Wash and soak the chana dal for about 2 hours.

          Now grind the jackfruit seeds into a coarse mixture, remove and keep. Take the drained dal, add the red chillies, ginger, garlic, fennel seeds and the dried red chillies and grind it to a coarse mixture. Remove and add it to the ground jackfruit seeds.

          Add the chopped onions, curry leaves, coriander leaves and salt and mix everything together.

          Heat some oil for deep frying. Take small lemon size balls, flatten it in your palm, as shown in the picture, slide it into the oil, 4 or 5 at a time, depending on how much oil you have heated. Cook it, till it turns golden brown, remove, drain the excess oil and serve.

Other recipes with Jackfruit Seeds..
Jackfruit Seeds Curry, Palakottai Varuval
Murungakkai Palakottai Sambar, Drumsticks And Jackfruit Seeds Sambar

Note
The oil should not be too hot, the vadas/fritters should cook in the center, and not brown immediately when you add them to the oil.
If you like, you can add 3 or 4 cloves while grinding, if you like the smell, usually I don't add.
Grind the seeds and the dal separately.
If you want it more spicy, you can add some chopped green chillies along with the onions.