Palakkai is a traditional vegetable which is in use mostly in chettinad only. It is known as baby jack fruit or raw jack fruit. Though it is used vastly in Kerala it is also much in use in chettinad especially in the marriage lunch. Palakkai masala is a traditional recipe in Chettinad cuisine. Now a days it is being sold in big veg shops in Chennai also. The most commonly prepared recipes are palakkai masala or pirattal, palakkai poriyal, palakkai kootu, Palakkai kurma and palakkai kola urundai. We will see these recipes later.
Now let us see how to make Palakkai masala or Pirattal
Ingredients:
- Palakkai – 2 cups
- Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
- Small onion – 10
- Tomato – 1
- Garlic cloves – 10
- Chilli powder – 2 tsp
- Salt – to taste
- To temper;
- Oil – 2 tbl sp
- Mustard – ¼ tsp
- Urad dal – ¼ tsp
- Fennel seeds – ¼ tsp
- Pepper – ¼ tsp
- Curry leaves – few
- To grind
- Coconut – 4 tblsp
- Cumin – ¼ tsp
- Fennel seed – ¼ tsp
- Cinnamon – 1 inch
Method:
Grease the palm and knife with little oil. Cut the outer thorny skin of jack fruit. Chop it in to small cubes and put it in the water with little butter milk( to avoid turning black). Pressure cook Palakkai with salt and turmeric powder for one whistle. Peel and cut onion, tomato and garlic cloves. Heat oil in a frying pan, add mustard, urad dal, fennel, pepper and curry leaves when they crackle add onion, tomato and garlic and saute well. Then add chilli powder and salt for onion and tomato only (previously we add salt to Palakkai) and saute. Then add cooked Palakkai and ground paste and mix it well. Close the pan with a lid. After 5 minutes open the lid and stir well till the water evaporates.
Note:
If you like spicy taste you can add ¼ tsp garam masala .
You can grind red chilli instead of red chilli powder (while grinding the coconut).
You can add one tsp fried gram( pottukadalai) while grinding.
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