Summer is the time when certain fruits grow in abundance in coastal Karnataka. Cashew fruits, jackfruits, wild jackfruits, mangoes, natal plums etc., grow in abundance. That’s when these raw fruits are pickled to preserve the season’s glut for year long’s use. They are then used to make delicious dishes throughout the year.
After a scorching hot summer, comes the rains in coastal Karnataka. There are days when it just pours cats and dogs. The weather, the inability to get hold of good veggies at that time, that’s when these pickled jewels are used up to make mouth watering delicacies.
Wild jack/jungle jack, paasponus or paachponus in Konkani is hard when it’s raw. Once it ripens, the skin gets soft and the fruit it bears inside become sweet. The skin is peeled off to enjoy the delicious, yellow fruit it bears inside. The seeds are discarded.
To use up the season’s glut, from generations they've been pickling the hard, raw wild jacks. These pickled wild jacks are preserved in brine for years and are used up to make lip smacking delicacies. Ripened ones aren't used in cooking.
How to pickle wild jackfruits:
Before pickling these raw wild jacks, thorns present on their skin are first removed off. Removing thorns present on the skin of raw wild jacks is quite a tedious process. The sticky glue that it gives out once you start chopping off the thorns makes the process cumbersome. These raw wild jacks are then cooked in boiling water until they're soft and a knife passes easily through them. And on cooling they are preserved in salt water in air tight bottles for further use. They take up salt in about a month and will be ready for use. P.S: Do not add salt while cooking wild jacks, they may not cook through.
Similarly, raw mangoes are also cooked in water until they're just cooked (you know by the change in colour of their skin) and on cooling are preserved in salt water in air tight bottles for further use. While you're cooking raw mangoes for pickling, be careful not to over cook them, don't let them get soft while cooking them. If not they'll get very soft with time, when they're stored in brine. They'll take up salt in 10-15 days and will be ready for use.
Pickled, raw, wild jackfruit and pickled raw mangoes:
There are 2 ways we use pickled wild jackfruits at home. We make a delicious, simple gojju with pickled wild jackfruits. Pickled raw mangoes are added to this gojju for tanginess. Adding raw mangoes also gives this gojju a nice binding agent. However, this side dish (pasponasa gojju) can be made without using pickled, raw mangoes too.
We make a coconut chutney based side dish called as bharth in Konkani using pickled, raw, wild jackfruit. We also add pickled raw mangoes to this side dish for tanginess. However, this side dish (pasponasa bharth) can be made without using pickled, raw mangoes too.
Below are recipes for both these delicious Konkani cuisine side dishes. They are a treat with steaming hot congee, curd rice or with a bowl of rice. I bet you can eat a plate full of rice with just these side dishes. Give it a try and enjoy!
Pickled Wild Jackfruit & Pickled Raw Mango Gojju
Ingredients for paasponus gojju:
Serves: 2-5
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Preparation Method:
1. Remove pickled wild jackfruit and raw mangoes out of the brine and keep them immersed in fresh water for 1-4 hours depending on how salty they are. They give out excess salt present in them into the water during this time. Change the water every half an hour.
2. Then smash well wild jackfruit in a bowl using your hands. Remove off all the seeds one by one. Remove off the hard, inner pith/core.
3. We need a nice mash of pickled wild jackfruit. If there are any hard outer skin pieces then remove them off.
4. Smash raw mangoes well in another bowl. If the skin of raw, pickled mangoes are thin and soft, smash them well too. If it's thick and won't form a nice, smooth mash, then remove it off. Remove off it's inner seed.
5. Mix well both mashed mangoes and wild jackfruit in a bowl. Your gojju is almost ready.
6. Soak crystal asafoetida in a tablespoon of water and keep it aside. Once it melts completely, add it to the gojju.
7. Finely chop green chillies, then finely smash them using a mortar and pestle. Add this to the gojju and mix well.
8. Then add in coconut oil on top and mix well. Check and add salt only if required.
Serving suggestions: Serve this gojju with hot rice/curd rice for lunch, dinner. Or serve it with a bowl of congee for dinner/brunch. :)
Pickled Wild Jackfruit & Pickled Raw Mangoes In A Coconut Based Chutney (Bharth)
Ingredients for paasponus bharath:
Serves: 2-5
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Preparation Method:
1. Remove pickled wild jackfruit and raw mangoes out of the brine and keep them immersed in fresh water for 1-4 hours depending on how salty they are. They give out excess salt present in them into the water during this time. Change the water every half an hour.
2. Then smash well wild jackfruit in a bowl using your hands. Remove off all the seeds one by one. Remove off the hard, inner pith/core.
3. We need a nice mash of pickled wild jackfruit. If there are any hard outer skin pieces then remove them off.
4. Smash raw mangoes well in another bowl. If the skin of raw, pickled mangoes are thin and soft, smash them well too. If it's thick and won't form a nice, smooth mash, then remove it off. Remove off it's inner seed.
5. Mix well both mashed mangoes and wild jackfruit in a bowl.
6. To grind coconut chutney: Add green chillies cut into 2 pieces into a tempering pan and fry them for 1-2 minutes using few drops of oil. We want the green chillies to just change in colour. If you're using garlic in the chutney, then add peeled garlic along with green chillies into the tempering pan and fry them until they start to brown.
7. Once fried green chillies, garlic cool down, grind them along with grated coconut into a smooth paste using 1/2 cup of water. If you are using asafoetida instead of garlic, then add crystal asafoetida melted in water to the chutney while grinding. If you aren't using pickled raw mangoes then add lemon sized tamarind to the chutney.
8. Transfer ground chutney into the bowl containing smashed wild jackfruit, raw mangoes and mix well. We want a thick chutney so do not add excess water while grinding.
9. Check and adjust salt. Add 1/2 cup of water if required. Bharth is usually thick in consistency.
10. Serve this bharth with steaming hot rice/curd rice for lunch, dinner and enjoy.
11. If you've used asafoetida in the chutney, then you can season it with mustard seeds and curry leaves.
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