Healthyish, Recipes, Vegetarian

Jackfruit Kebabs

Come summer and the vegetable market starts getting set for jackfruit both ripened and raw. I am a fan of both! I got my hands on a good quantity of raw jackfruit early this year and thought of using it to make Vegan Kebabs! Yes, Vegan it is because the Non-vegetarian say that the raw jackfruit tastes like Mutton if cooked in a particular way. So, here’s my take on the No Mutton, Mutton Kebabs a.k.a. Jackfruit Kebabs.

Ingredients

  • For the Kebabs
  • 750 gms Jackfruit (Raw)
  • 2 Onions (Big)
  • 3 Tbsp Fresh Coriander (finely chopped)
  • 2 Tbsp Mint leaves (finely chopped)
  • 5 Green chillies (finely chopped)
  • 2 Tbsp Ginger (finely chopped)
  • 3 Tbsp Besan/Gram flour 
  • 1 Tsp Garam Masala
  • 2 Tbsp Coriander-Cumin (Dhania-Jeera) Powder
  • 1 Tbsp Fennel (Saunf) Powder
  • 1 Tbsp Dry Mango (Amchoor) Powder
  • Salt – to taste
  • For the Dip
  • 1 Cup Curd
  • 1/2 Cup Fresh Coriander
  • 1 Tbsp Mint leaves
  • 2 Green Chillies
  • 1 Tsp Cumin (Jeera) powder
  • 1 Tsp Chat Masala
  • Salt – to taste

Preparation

Prep: 15 minutes
Cooking: 15 minutes

  1. For the kebabs – Grease your palms and knife with oil.
  2. Wash the raw jackfruit and cut them into small cubes and place them in water with a little salt so the jackfruit does not change colour due to oxidation.
  3. Boil water with little salt and turmeric. After the water has boiled well, add the jackfruit and cook until soft. You can alternatively pressure cook the jackfruit for 5-6 whistles.
  4. Once the jackfruit is cooked, strain the water and allow it to cool down completely.
  5. In a bowl, add the jackfruit and mince them well. You can also use a masher/churn it in a mixer for quick mince.
  6. To the minced jackfruit, add onions, coriander, mint leaves, green chillies, ginger, gram flour, garam masala, Coriander-Cumin powder, Fennel powder, Dry Mango powder and salt as required. 
  7. Mix them all well and keep them in the fridge to marinate for 45mins to an hour.
  8. Now remove the mix and start shaping them in balls and press them flat in between your palms to give them the shape of a Kebab.
  9. Heat oil in a pan and start frying the Kebabs and remove them once they turn golden brown.
  10. Serve the hot Kebabs with some onion slices, lemon wedges and chilled Curd-Coriander dip.
  11. For the Dip – In a mixer, blend coriander, mint leaves, green chillies and grind to a paste. Now take curd in a bowl and add the ground paste.
  12. Now add Chat masala, jeera powder and salt and mix them all well.  Serve chilled with hot kebab.

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Shubhangi And Omeya Nair

As the official food taster of the house, I could tell how good (dare I say bad) the food is by its aroma. At home, my wife and I often discussed the ingredients and aromas of the food we enjoy. Until the lockdown, it was she who cooked or else we ordered in. Now with both of us working from home and our favourite restaurants temporarily shut, we teamed up to recreate authentic Indian dishes we love. As we began cooking together, my wife took over the vegetarian domain while I made non-vegetarian dishes. Little did I know, we'd be good at this together. Making these dishes have brought back the taste and with that fond memories.