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Chakka Madhura Curry
May 31, 2007 | 31 Comments
… Sweet Jackfruit Curry
Ammini Ramachandran translated and developed this recipe from a poem collection in the ancient Sangha Kali songs.
In Grains, Greens and Grated Coconuts she observes:
Long before the days of printed cookbooks, there were poems detailing the ingredients and cooking methods for various curries.
..this recipe (is) from a Malayalam poem collection called Curry Slokangal (“Culinary Ballads” ), a part of the ancient Sangha Kali songs. Sangha Kali is an ancient art form that had an integral connection with the rituals of the society. Reciting poems describing the quality of the curries was part of the ceremonial dinner at the Sangha Kali performances.
This recipe is nearly 1000 years old and tells us how our ancestors used to cook, without imported ingredients like chillies, or even black pepper which is native to the region. We prepared this mild curry as it is traditionally prepared – using fresh ripe jackfruit. The “song” calls for only two spices in addition to the mandatory turmeric – cumin and dried ginger. Sometimes we overwhelm our senses by using too many different types of spices. This dish reminded us of the beauty in simplicity.
The texture of the cooked ripe jackfruit was melt-in-the-mouth luscious. The creamy coconut with mild undertones of cumin and ginger imbibes the taste of jackfruit and coats the mouth. A very pleasurable experience indeed.
Canned ripe jackfruit works very well for this dish and takes slightly less time to cook. The jaggery can be omitted if using canned jackfruit in syrup. The original recipe calls for 1.5 cups of grated coconut.
CHAKKA MADHURA CURRY
1 cup ripe jackfruit, cut into one-inch pieces
salt to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp toasted cumin seeds
1 cup freshly grated coconut (we used frozen)
for seasoning and garnish
1 Tbs coconut oil
1 Tbs jaggery or brown sugar
12-15 fresh curry leaves
1. Place the jackfruit pieces in a saucepan with just enough water to cover. Sprinkle salt and turmeric over the fruit pieces, and cook for five minutes.
2. While the jackfruit is simmering, grind the cumin, dried ginger and coconut into a smooth thick puree in a blender. (We powdered the toasted cumin before blending)
3. Add the spicy coconut puree to the cooked jackfruit and stir well. Simmer for five minutes and remove from stove.
4. Add the coconut oil, jaggery and curry leaves and stir gently. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes to allow for the flavors to blend. (We slightly fried the curry leaves in part of the coconut oil and also grated the jaggery block into flakes for better assimilation).
Serve with hot rice or roti.
- Jai
Our entry for Jihva for Ingredients – Jackfruit.
About Sangha Kali
Ammini-Ramachandran, chakka-madhura-curry, Coconut, cookbook, Ginger, Grains Greens and Grated Coconuts, Jackfruit, vegan recipes, vegetarian recipes
Would be interesting to bite into a piece of history like that!
I see dozens of bloggers doing Ammini Ramachandran’s recipes, but looks like the book is not yet available in Indian bookstores….
1000yr old recipe ! Would love to try this recipe
Read something about Kongunad cuisine recently which has a biriyani without tomatoes and the usual attendant train of several spices – this dish reminded me of that.
yumm Bee this looks very inviting! today is my last day will try to see if i can get JF, Usually I get JF every 15 days as my little kids love it but unfortunately i can’t reason out i did not get it this time.
Wow, this is something new… It sounds amazing, but with rice… I am a bit skeptical
Didn’t it taste like dessert?
as forrest gump would say – a skeptic is as a skeptic does !
So try it. you could drop the jaggery as suggested if you are using canned JF–Jai
Hi!
I have same doubt as sig.. wont it taste sweetly?? veryyyyyy old recipe!!!!!!!!!! wow!
ask sig how it turned out – she’s going to try it soon.
–Jai
Oh, how the two of you build the anticipation! Most erotic…
This is a very interesting recipe, and astounding that oral and written tradition has kept it alive! Rather strange to see a sweet/savoury dish like this without chiles, but I imagine there have been many “children” born from this recipe in the years since.
grrrrrr… just checked inji’s latest post on drumstick leaves and JF seeds and now look @u… what u want? blood??? ~and then she drools again @the pic~ beautiful pic of those sweet JF… just beautiful…
i just got a copy of ammini’s book… it was surprise gift from krish… i am going through each and every single word in that book and enjoying it…
The concept of poems as recipes is just so precious! In school, I remember learning a Sanskrit poem called “Sthalapishtastakam”, a poem that described a recipe for “thalipeeth” (the multi-grain pancake) in eight verses. The poem was also a metaphor for the concept of unity, so many ingredients coming together.
Wow the ripe jackfruit could be used in curries too! Bee choosing Jackfruit was a brilliant idea now I see in hindsight.
Fantastic photos. Delightful dish. Jackfruit’s incredibly versatile. I’ll have to track it down.
I LOVE the name Madhura!! How Madhura to even read and say that word!!Beautiful:))
I haven’t started to cook from that book yet,still reading and enjoying it.
“…imported ingredients like chillies, or even black pepper.” Back Pepper…really? I thought that is so native to India, especially the Malabar Coast and that was one of the many reasons why westerners were flowing to India to take control. To my very limited knowledge, I think pepper was the imported ingredient for westerners and not for Indians!!
Btw, Beautiful Photography!
Shn
yes, black pepper is native to south india. in fact, the word ‘pepper’ comes from the sanskrit ‘pippali’ . however, that long ago, i’m guessing, it wasn’t an integral part of the cuisine. in fact, after reading ammini’s book i realised that not too many recipes from kerala even today use black pepper. it is used in a select few dishes. it was probably valued too much as a trading commodity. pepper is used in a greater variety of dishes in the West than in india. – b.
The idea of verses describing recipes is so beautiful. Do you have a translation of the poem/ballad.
no, there’s no translation in the book. – b.
Even the name is sweet… Madhura.. Beautiful name for a simple dish
That’s an entirely new recipe for me…btw loved the ‘madhura’ name…
B- Is there a form of the word “pippali” still in use? I have only heard the adj-noun “kala mirchi”; The peppercorn vine is also native to Thailand, where it is called “prik Thai”; there it is used with greater frequency and quantity than in south India, as it is part of the “great trinity” (with garlic and the coriander plant) of more ancient, pre-chile cuisine.
Also interesting is the word “tiphal” (Szechuan/ wild peppercorn); very close to “pippali”…
i don’t think ‘pippali’ is in contemporary use. kali mirch is black pepper in hindi. in malayalam (kerala is the pepper capital of india and the world), it is called ‘kuru molagga’ or ‘bead pepper’.
tiphal sounds very close to ‘tirphal’, a particular round spice (that looks like a peppercorn) and is known and used only in very small pockets of india.
http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/recipe.cgi?r=261296
in fact, as mentioned here
tirphal is a variety of sichuan peppercorn. tirphal is used in goa, malvani and coastal karnataka cuisine.
- b.
bee, this is amazing. 1000 yrs old recipe? my mom makes a curry with ripe chakka (similar to erisseri but without frying coconuts at the end) and except for jaggery rest fo the ingredients are same.
sig, you won’t believe but ripe chakka curry with rice tastes great. i like it more than the raw chakka erisseri.
The poem, the historic recipe, your presentation of the dish and the photography – poetic.
Kali mirch…tirphal…thanks!
Both tirphal and Sichuan/Szechuan peppercorns are of the same genus, Zanthoxylum, and the family Rutaceae, which contains the citrus fruits as well. I’ve seen it used in Konkani dishes, as well as western Chinese dishes. Odd how it is peculiar to just these cuisines!
Nice one bee. You always come up with interesting recipes. Awesome photos as usual. Viji
bee,
This recipe looks awesome. Sweet,yet savory! A perfect balance of yin and yang.
GC
bee,
woh..1000 yrs old recipe.nice name and looks beautiful
[...] Chakka Madhura Curry [...]
how many servings does it make?
if you served it as a side dish (which is what we did), it would serve four. – j
[...] Bee and Jai at Jugalbandi: Chestnut-Coconut Buns Thai Black Rice Pudding Chakka Madhura Curry (a recipe that’s 1000 years old!!!) Olan (This is Version 2–check their blog for [...]
[...] Bee and Jai at Jugalbandi: Chestnut-Coconut Buns Thai Black Rice Pudding Chakka Madhura Curry (a recipe that’s 1000 years old!!!) Olan (This is Version 2–check their blog for [...]
[...] Bee and Jai at Jugalbandi: Chestnut-Coconut Buns Thai Black Rice Pudding Chakka Madhura Curry (a recipe that’s 1000 years old!!!) Olan (This is Version 2–check their blog for [...]
[...] Bee and Jai at Jugalbandi: Chestnut-Coconut Buns Thai Black Rice Pudding Chakka Madhura Curry (a recipe that’s 1000 years old!!!) Olan (This is Version 2–check their blog for [...]
[...] Bee and Jai at Jugalbandi: Chestnut-Coconut Buns Thai Black Rice Pudding Chakka Madhura Curry (a recipe that’s 1000 years old!!!) Olan (This is Version 2–check their blog for [...]
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