Pickled Raw Jackfruit Stir Fry (Salla Upkari)

Raw jackfruits are pickled in salt to store the season's glut for year long's use. These pickled raw jackfruits are then made into Konkani delicacies. We make a stir fry out of pickled raw jackfruits called as salla upakari in Konkani. This dish is unique in it's taste and flavour. It's delicious. However, it'll take some getting used to. :-) We also make fritters, curries, dosas using pickled raw jackfruits.

When the right jackfruit (not too mature, not too tender and the right variety of jackfruit) is pickled with care, it can be stored for years together, without them getting soft with time. Just in case you're inspired and want to pickle some raw jackfruits, here's how to pickle raw jackfruits.

A few pickled raw jackfruits are removed out of the brine on the day they have to be used and are soaked in many batches of fresh water for a few hours to remove out excess salt present in them. They are then used to make the dishes.

Want to buy a packet of pickled raw jackfruits? Here are some tips:

While you're buying a packet of pickled raw jackfruits, buy a packet containing firm pickled raw jackfruits. If they have gotten soft then you can't make this stir fry using them. Preferably, buy a packet containing pickled mature raw jackfruits. You know they are mature raw jackfruits from the sheer size and thickness of the jackfruit pods. Tender raw jacfruits are thin and smaller in size.

Pickled raw jackfruits could look white/off white/pale in colour unlike the yellow jackfruits you normally eat, as they are raw jackfruits that are pickled.

Want to pickle some raw jackfruits? Read on.

Pickled raw jackfruits are called as 'ponsa sali' or 'mitta ghalel ponsa gharo/sali' in Konkani. Ponosu, ponsa gharo, ponsa sali refer to jackfruit in Konkani, mitta ghalel means salted in Konkani.

Ingredients:

• 6 pickled raw jackfruits 
• 1/4 cup fresh grated coconut
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon urad dal
• 2-3 dried red chilli
• 5-6 garlic cloves (optional) (adds a nice taste)
• 1 leaflet of curry leaves
• a pinch of turmeric (optional)
• 3/4 cup water

Serves: 2-3

Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Preparation Method:

1. On the day you plan to make this stir fry, remove a few pickled raw jackfruits out of the brine.

2. Add them into a bowl of water, change the water every 10-15 minutes. Repeat the process using fresh water every time, for 1-3 hours to remove out the excess salt present in them. Otherwise, your dish in the end will turn out to be very salty.

Soaking time for pickled raw jackfruits varies depending on the saltiness of the pickled raw jackfruit and for how long they have been pickled. As they age in brine (salt water) they tend to get very salty. 

Make sure the pickled raw jackfruits are completely immersed in water.

3. Once they are not too salty and have given out excess salt present in them, then you can make a stir fry out of them.

4. In a wok, heat up oil, add in mustard seeds. When they start spluttering, add in crushed garlic and urad dal.

5. Once garlic and urad dal starts to brown, add in dried red chilli broken into pieces, curry leaves and fry them for 30 seconds.

6. Then add in thinly sliced pickled raw jackfruits and mix well. You need not add salt, salt present in the jackfruit slices should be enough.

7. Add in 1/2 cup of water and cook them closed on a medium flame, until they are soft and well cooked. Add in more water to cook if required.

8. When pickled raw jackfruits are cooked through and soft, add in grated coconut, mix well and serve hot. 

Serving suggestion:

Serve salla upakari hot, with steaming hot rice and dalithoy.

Other raw jackfruit Konkani delicacies:

Raw Jackfruit Fritters (Kadgi Phodi)

Raw Jackfruit Dry Masala/Sukka (Kadgi chakko)

Raw Jackfruit Curry With Chickpeas (Kadgi Gashi)

Raw Jackfruit Curry (Kadgi randayi)

Find more Konkani cuisine side dishes here. 

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