Chettinad Palakkai Kurma - Baby Jackfruit Kurma

Chettinad Palakkai Kurma Recipe with Video. Raw baby jackfruit cooked in aromatic spices into a gravy that tastes great when served with rice.

Raw baby jackfruit are called as palakkai or pinju (tender) palakkai in Tamil and as Kathal in Hindi.

This kurma is also called as “saiva kari kulambu” or “veg mutton gravy” in some parts of the native as these cooked palakkai cubes coated with the creamy gravy tastes just like juicy mutton pieces.

Do you Know?

- Palakkai or baby jackfruit’s flesh is very high in dietary fibre that is satiating and filling as well.

- As it is also very low in calorie, if you are looking to reduce your weight, it will highly help you in your weight loss journey.

- Palakkai also helps to maintain a healthy gut as it aids in good digestion and bowel movements because of its fibre content.

How to easily chop Palakkai?

The only difficult thing with regarding to cooking with palakkai is the cleaning part of the thorny outer layer. Palakkai tends to be sticky because of the milky substance it has between in its layers.

If you have a chef’s knife, the job gets very easier. All you need to do is smear the entire length of the knife with any vegetable oil and start slicing across the outer layer and you can say goodbye to stickiness.

It took me just minutes to remove all the outer layer in fact it took me only a fraction of the time it usually takes me to clean a bunch of greens.

This Chettinad Palakkai Kurma happens to be,

• Vegan & Gluten Free
• Packed with flavors
• Tastes great when eaten mixed with rice or served as a side dish
• A great meat substitute for vegans and vegetarians

Points to note:

• Make sure to dry roast the whole spices over low flame as they change color very quickly and burn easily.
• To not be stingy with oil while cooking palakkai else the cubes will be very dry and taste like cardboard.
• If you do not want to use cashew nuts in this recipe, you can skip the cashew paste and use thick coconut milk instead.
• Use whole red chilies according to your spice level.

Chettinad Palakkai Kurma video below:

Do subscribe to my YouTube Channel for more such recipe videos.

You can also check out these Chettinad Recipes:

Chettinad Mushroom Masala
Vazhakkai Kola Urundai
Chettinad Thakkali Kulambu
Chettinad Kalyana Vathal Kulambu
Chettinad Vazhakkai Kurma

Chettinad Palakkai Kurma Recipe details below:

Chettinad Palakkai Kurma

Radhika

Raw Baby Jackfruit Kurma Recipe with Video

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Course Main

Cuisine South Indian

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• Palakkai or Baby Jackfruit - 1 or 2 cups
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 1
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Curry leaf - 1 sprig
• Coriander leaves - to garnish
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 2 tbsp

For Cashew Paste:

• Whole Cashew nuts - 10
• Water - 3 tbsp

For Spice Paste:

• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
• Khus-khus or Poppy seeds - 1 tsp
• Whole dry red chillies - 8 to 10
• Fresh grated coconut - 4 tbsp
• Water - to grind

Instructions

 

Preparation:

• Chop the palakkai into bite sized cubes & keep them immersed in water till use.
• Chop onion and tomato finely and set aside.

To cook Palakkai / Baby Jackfruit:

• Drain the soaking water & transfer the palakkai cubes to a bowl.
• Add water till the cubes are completely immersed.
• Add turmeric powder, salt & place the bowl into a pressure cooker.
• Cook for 2 whistles. It should be parboiled. Let it cool.
• You can also cook this directly in the pressure cooker itself.

To make Cashew Paste:

• Soak whole cashew nuts in hot water for 15 to 20 mins.
• Transfer to a mixie jar & grind to a smooth paste. Set aside.

To make Spice Paste:

• Heat a pan.
• When hot add cumin, fennel, khus-khus, dry red chilies & dry roast over low flame.
• The spices should be aromatic & slightly change color. Take care not to burn them.
• Transfer to mixie jar, add fresh grated coconut and 3 to 4 tbsp water.
• Grind to a smooth paste and set aside.

How to make Chettinad Palakkai Kurma:

• Heat a pan with oil.
• Add mustard seeds and let it crackle.
• Add onion, tomato, ginger-garlic paste, curry leaf, a pinch of salt & saute till the onion changes color & tomato becomes mushy.
• Add spice paste, 1/4 cup water & bring it to a boil over medium flame. This should take 3 to 4 mins.
• Add palakkai along with the cooked water & let it boil over medium low flame for 6 to 8 mins.
• Check for salt at this stage & add more if required. If the kurma looks very thick, add more water to the consistency you prefer.
• Add cashew paste and coriander leaves.
• Mix well and bring it to one more boil & switch off the stove.
• Chettinad Palakkai Kurma is ready.
• Serve it as a side dish with sambar/kulambu/mandi or you can also mix it with hot rice and eat it along with a poriyal.

Video

Related Recipes

Egg Kurma Recipe - Muttai Kurma Recipe Potato Kurma Recipe - Urulai Kurma + Video Chettinad Mushroom Masala Recipe - Chettinad Mushroom Gravy Pongal Kuzhambu Recipe - Chettinad Pongal Kuzhambu